Mattress Mack Bets $1 Million on March Madness Champion to Come From East Region
Mattress Mack placed a massive March Madness bet late Wednesday night that has some local flair.
Houston furniture salesman Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who is known for placing huge wagers, bet $1 million on the men’s NCAA tournament champion to come out of the East region at +260 odds. McIngvale will win $2.6 million if his bet hits.
McIngvale is known for placing big bets on the Astros, and the East Region features two Texas schools in No. 1 Baylor (+1200 future odds) and No. 6 Texas (+6600). It also contains No. 2 Kentucky (+800), No. 3 Purdue (+1800) and No. 4 UCLA (+2200).
Check NCAA Tournament Future Odds and Lines at SI Sportsbook
A sleeper like No. 5 Saint Mary’s (+12500) or No. 8 North Carolina (+12500) could make a run but, realistically, McIngvale is hoping for Baylor to repeat as national champions or Kentucky to win its first title since 2012.
Baylor faces a tough challenge in trying to repeat, but entered the tournament tied with Kentucky with +240 odds to win the East Region.
Perhaps the Longhorns could make an unexpected run, although they have a tough draw in the first round against Virginia Tech.
The favorite to win it all is No. 1 Gonzaga, out of the West Region, followed by No. 1 Arizona from the South Region.
The last time McIngvale dropped a huge bet was on Super Bowl LVI. He liked the Bengals to defeat the Rams and wagered $4 million on the upset.
Cincinnati came close and even led late, but McIngvale lost when Los Angeles beat Cincinnati, 23-20, in its home stadium.
The national championship game will be played in New Orleans on April 4. McIngvale surely hopes a team from the East will be cutting down the nets in the Big Easy—and perhaps one of the two Texas teams with top-six seeds in the region.
Check the Latest Odds at SI Sportsbook
Get fantasy and betting analysis in your inbox by signing up for the Winners Club newsletter
More Betting, Fantasy and College Basketball:
• Final Four, Championship Game and Champion Bets
• Advice: Double-Digit Seeds to Make the Sweet 16
• Against the Spread Bets for Thursday’s Games
• Three Games to Target Friday
• Three Games to Target Thursday
• How to Bet March Madness
• Top-Four Seeds Against the Spread
• How to Bet the 5-12 Matchups
• Sleepers to Bet in March Madness
• Tom Brady Returns: Fantasy Impact
• Underdog Runs that Paid Off
• SI Experts Bracket
• Is This Finally Purdue’s Year?