Why ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt loves Butler basketball’s Finley Bizjack, and others do, too

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In a world that values instant gratification and people can look up anything and have an answer within seconds on a computer that fits in their pocket, the same way in which some may have found this story, it’s a surprise to see a 3-day-old Butler basketball game on ESPN’s ‘SportsCenter.’

Let alone this Bulldogs team.

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But as sports betting has rapidly become popular, a “Bad Beats” segment by anchor Scott Van Pelt and co-host “Stanford” Steve Coughlin had Friday’s Butler loss to Georgetown featured. And, no, it wasn’t the loss itself that they were saying was bad, but if someone wagered on the game, they may not have enjoyed the outcome.

So, there was an opportunity for Van Pelt to have fun and, in doing so, he offered this up during the highlight: “My favorite name in hoops, Finley Bizjack!” Here’s why it came up:

Georgetown, favored to win by 3.5 points, was leading by eight with 21 seconds left. After Curtis Williams Jr. missed the second of his two free throws, Patrick McCaffery hit a 3 to cut the lead to five with 11 seconds left. Another foul. But this time, Malik Mack missed the front end of a one-and-one, which allowed Bizjack to hit a layup to make it a three-point game with 5 seconds left. A bet on Butler (9-13, 2-9) against the spread would have won at this point.

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Another foul sent Williams back to the free-throw line. He made the pair with 4 seconds left and a five-point lead. Game over, right? Well, yes, but not for those who wagered on the game. Bizjack again scored on a layup as time expired. The final: Georgetown 73, Butler 70. A bad beat for Georgetown -3.5 bettors.

As the final bucket went in during the highlight, Van Pelt echoed a familiar saying, “Fin-ley Biz-Jack!”

Jan 31, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Butler Bulldogs guard Finley Bizjack (13) takes a shot during the second half…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-espn-anchor-scott-van-090649286.html

Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2025-02-04 09:06:00

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