$60K St. John's Ticket Is Worth $2,000 Ahead Of Duke Showdown

The St. John's futures ticket the Sports Broker has been tracking is still alive and worth significantly more than it was a week ago.

The $500 wager placed in January at 125-to-1 rode through a blowout win over Northern Iowa in the first round and then a game that nearly ended everything against Kansas. St. John's held a 14-point lead with under nine minutes remaining before the Jayhawks ripped off a 20-7 run and tied the game on Darryn Peterson's free throws with 13 seconds left. Dylan Darling, scoreless to that point, drove past Elmarko Jackson and laid the ball in at the buzzer with his off hand. In doing so, Darling became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to score his first points on a game-winning buzzer beater.

The WagerWire user’s ticket has surged to over $2,000 in market value. A $100 bet placed at the same time would be worth over $400. St. John's championship odds have shortened from 125-to-1 in January to roughly 30-to-1 heading into the Sweet 16.

Jeff Dawson's read: sell at least a portion. Lock in real profit on a position that has already returned over 300%.

Duke Sizable Favorites, a Game-Time Decision at Point Guard, and a Pitino Team Playing Its Best Ball

Defending champion Florida, the No. 1 seed in the South, fell to Iowa in the second round, reshuffling the entire left side of the bracket. Duke's struggles have been well documented: a scare against 16-seed Siena and a second-round battle vs TCU with a shorthanded roster missing point guard Caleb Foster. Foster, who’s been sidelined for three weeks with a fractured foot, is listed as a game-time decision for tonight's Sweet 16 matchup. Given the severity of the injury, he will be less than 100% even if he does play.

Cameron Boozer has posted double-doubles in both tournament games and went 13-for-14 from the line in the second half against Siena. The Blue Devils are 6.5-point favorites and have won 13 straight. The Red Storm bring the best defensive pressure in the tournament, 16 forced turnovers against Kansas, nine of the last 10 opponents held under 70 points. Rick Pitino is 12-1 all-time in Sweet 16 games. Bryce Hopkins shot 6-of-9 from three against Kansas after an inconsistent regular season. Zuby Ejiofor remains the engine on both ends.

Sell Enough to Protect the Original Stake

The ticket has done its job. A position entered at a depressed price during a rough stretch has appreciated through a conference championship, a dramatic tournament run, and a bracket that keeps softening around it. Selling a portion, enough to lock in profit on the original $500 and then some is the disciplined play.

If St. John's beats Duke tonight, the ticket's value explodes again. If they lose, the unrealized gains disappear in two hours. Trimming the position protects against that downside.

Buy low, sell high. That's the mantra.

🎬 Missed Part 1? Watch it here: $60K St John's Ticket - Part 1

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