Mattress Mack Is Back: Puts $1M On Houston Cougars To Win It All

Jim McIngvale, also known as Mattress Mack, has grown a reputation for putting seven figure bets on Houston-based sports teams as well as underdogs.
The Houston Cougars currently sit at 9-1 odds to win the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament.
The Houston Cougars are favored at -265 odds to defeat the Syracuse Orange in their Sweet 16 game on Saturday.

INDIANAPOLIS – Jim McIngvale, (also known as Mattress Mack) is back at it again, putting his hopes and tons of money betting on a Houston-based team. This time, the furniture tycoon has placed a $1 million bet on the Houston Cougars men’s basketball team to win the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The bet was placed with DraftKings on Saturday, just hours before the Houston Cougars take on the Syracuse Orange in the Sweet 16.

DraftKings odds currently have the Cougars favored at -265 odds to beat Syracuse. But, the Cougars have +900 longshot odds to win the March Madness tournament. Even with these long odds, Mattrass Mack believes his hometown school can pull the upset.

“Anything can happen in March Madness as we all know, but I’m ten toes down on Houston to bring the national title to Texas, and willing to stake a million dollars with DraftKings on that outcome,” said McIngvale. “DraftKings continues to offer an unparalleled sportsbook experience and has rewarded customers during the opening rounds for underdog picks, although hopefully Syracuse’s Cinderella story ends in the Sweet 16 against Houston this weekend. I look forward to having skin-in-the-game for the rest of March Madness and seeing these young men compete, especially after the tournament was cancelled last season.”

If the Cougars do in fact win the tournament, McIngvale would stand to win $9 million. This would be his largest recorded win to date.

The Road To A Cougars National Championship

The Houston Cougars have been a top ten ranked team for most of the season but have flown under the radar. They have also been overlooked in the tournament despite being a two seed.

This could be because the Cougars barely squeaked by a win against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights winning 63-60 in the round of 32.

Their performance in that game, compared to the Syracuse Orange’s dominance in their win against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the round of 32, has had college basketball betting fans questioning if the Cougars can even make it past the Sweet 16.

Earlier this week, DraftKings announced that 81% of the total handle on the moneyline and 67% of all bets were placed on the Orange to upset the Cougars on Saturday.

Should the Cougars win, they will face the winner of the Oregon State Beavers vs. Loyola Chicago Ramblers in the Elite 8. Their next opponent after that would be against either the Arkansas Razorbacks, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, Villanova Wildcats, or Baylor Bears.

After that, they’d be in the National Championship game where they would have to face the winner of either the East or West Region of the tournament.

It will be a long road to winning, but Mattress Mack has won on underdog odds before. Those betting on March Madness too will need to place their futures odds soon, as the next four days will see a dramatic shift in the futures odds for the championship.

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Hasan Nabulsi

– In his career, Hasan has worked both local and state government positions—including the Attorney General’s Office in Florida. On top of being familiar with the legislative process, he has also been researching and writing on the legality of sports betting across the US. Outside of work you’ll most likely find him producing or playing music, playing sports, or working on creative writing projects. You’ll also catch him at Doak Campbell Stadium cheering on the Noles.