According to a report from Action Network earlier this week, it looks as though Marco Piemonte, better known as ‘Million Dollar Marco’ in sports gambling circles, has placed a $200,000 bet for Rick Barnes’ Tennessee Volunteers to win the 2024 National Championship.
Piemonte is a sports media personality and a very prominent car dealer in the Chicago area. Piemonte developed the reputation of “Million Dollar Marco” after a few million-dollar sports betting wins over the last few years.
The post shows that Piemonte’s bet was placed through DraftKings Sportsbook on February 7, just hours after Tennessee’s win over LSU in Knoxville and three days after the Vols’ victory in Lexington over Kentucky.
So, what if Tennessee does win the national championship this April? Well, Piemonte would be in for a hefty payday.
According to the report, Piemonte’s $200,000 bet at 14/1 odds will payout $3 million in total.
.@Marco_Parlay just put $200K on Tennessee to win the national title 👀
The potential payout: $3M 🤑 pic.twitter.com/sNRDBmRiHQ
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) February 21, 2024
Here’s a look at the current national championship odds according to DraftKings (as of 2/23 at 9:00 a.m. ET, original bet reporting was made on 2/7, odds subject to change):
- UConn (+500)
- Purdue (+750)
- Houston (+850)
- Arizona (+1200)
- Tennessee (+1300)
- Auburn (+1800)
- North Carolina (+1800)
- Alabama (+2000)
- Kansas (+2000)
- Iowa State (+2000)
| TN Sportsbook | Bonus Offer | Bonus Link |
|---|---|---|
| BetMGM | Bet $5, Get $158 in bonus bets | Claim Bonus — Use Code ROCKYBET |
| FanDuel | Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Guaranteed | Claim Bonus |
| Caesars Sportsbook | Get a first bet on Caesars of up to $1,000 | Claim Bonus — Use Code STARTGET |
More from RTI: Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht Lands as First-Round Pick in Recent Mock Draft
As Missouri head coach Dennis Gates stated this past Tuesday night, this could be the best Tennessee team that Rick Barnes has assembled in his time on Rocky Top. The Vols are led day-to-day by a pair of fifth-year seniors in Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi, have a terrific scoring and defensive point guard in Zakai Zeigler, a shooting threat off the bench with Jordan Gainey, a lockdown defender with Jahmai Mashack, and impressive big men with Tobe Awaka and Jonas Aidoo.
The Vols also have Dalton Knecht.
Knecht, a transfer from Northern Colorado, quickly established himself as one of the SEC’s best scoring players as he has dominated SEC play. Even with two recent games of just 14 and 17 points, Knecht still has a 24.4 points per game average throughout SEC play this season. Knecht gives Tennessee a much-needed scoring threat as the 6-foot-6 guard can score in transition, in the post, on the outside, and on the drive.
“Unbelievable team,” Gates said after Tennessee’s 72-67 win in Columbia on Tuesday night. “I think Rick Barnes’ best team he’s ever had. They’re well-balanced. They have everything you need that’s characteristic of a National Championship team.”
Million Dollar Marco is certainly hoping so.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more on Tennessee basketball as the Vols stare down five remaining games on the regular-season slate.
