Mason Levinson, Bloomberg
Nick Bogdanovich could use some antacid.
Bogdanovich, the director of trading at sports book operator William Hill U.S., in July posted 50-1 odds the University of Kentucky would have a perfect season. As the Wildcats reached the men’s college basketball Final Four — sneaking by Notre Dame 68-66 on Saturday — his employer remains saddled with what could become a high six-figure loss.
The regional finals continued Sunday and Bogdanovich spent part of Michigan State’s 76-70 overtime win against Louisville eating lunch in a Del Taco restaurant in Las Vegas.
“Watching the game gives me heartburn, like last night,” Bogdanovich said in a phone interview, recalling Kentucky’s victory.
A Kentucky title would “100 percent” be the worst outcome for William Hill, Bogdanovich said. The book took about 10 bets at those 50-1 odds on Kentucky to go 40-0. The Wildcats entered the three-week National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament with a 34-0 record and title odds that had shrunk to even-money.
Someone betting today on a Kentucky championship would have to wager $130 to win $100. That same $130 bet would have won $6,500 had it been placed at William Hill in July.
The last men’s basketball team to go undefeated was the Indiana Hoosiers, who went 32-0 in 1975-76.
Six other teams won the men’s college basketball title with a perfect season: UCLA in 1964, 1967, 1972 and 1973; North Carolina in 1957 and San Francisco in 1956.
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook didn’t offer odds prior to the season on Kentucky perfection, according to Jay Kornegay, its executive director.
Creating Liability
“When you do put something up like that, it does create a lot of liability,” Kornegay said Sunday in a phone interview.
The SuperBook has, however, offered similar bets in the past, such as 80-1 odds on Tiger Woods to win the Grand Slam when he was in his prime.
“‘That just makes me age faster,’’ Kornegay said of such longshot offerings. ‘‘When you do something like that you just get all these small tickets with favorable odds. It just never stops.’’
The SuperBook’s worst-case scenario now is a Michigan State title, which Kornegay said would be ‘‘just a soft jab to us, not a big loser at all.’’
Kentucky sophomore Andrew Harrison made two free throws with six seconds left on Saturday, giving the Wildcats the lead for good over Notre Dame. After being tied at the half, the Fighting Irish led by six with six minutes remaining.
Kornegay said he found himself rooting for the Irish despite them being his sports book’s biggest remaining liability.
‘Intriguing’ Game
‘‘It was such an intriguing, tense game that you never wanted it to end,’’ he said. ‘‘On the bookmaking side of it, it was a good deal for us.’’
Bogdanovich said he watched the final minutes in a casino sports book near his home, joining many others who were supporting Notre Dame. Kentucky was a 10 1/2-point favorite.
‘‘The majority of the book was rooting for the Irish,’’ Bogdanovich said. ‘‘People like to root for the underdog in this tournament.’’
Kentucky is a five-point favorite for its national semifinal game on April 4 against Big Ten conference champion Wisconsin, according to Las Vegas betting information website Pregame.com. The Badgers, also a No. 1 seed, beat Arizona 85-78 in the West region final.
If the Wildcats pass that test, they’d face either Michigan State or Duke in the April 6 championship game in Indianapolis.
‘‘Notre Dame reminded people that there are teams out there that can give Kentucky all they want,’’ Bogdanovich said. ‘‘To deliver that knockout blow might be tough, but Wisconsin, like Notre Dame, has an awful good chance to do it.’’
–With assistance from Erik Matuszewski in New York.
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