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No. 2 seed Kentucky is a 19.5 point favorite over No. 15 seed Northern Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. So an upset for the Norse is a long shot.
But Cincinnati restaurant owner Jeff Ruby says he’s willing to pay out big if they can do it. Ruby is offering every single Northern Kentucky student a free steak dinner if the Norse pull off a first round win over the Wildcats. That’s a school with 15,000 students!
“Yes, this could get very expensive,” Ruby told WCPO in Cincinnati. “But it’s important to me to show support to our hometown organizations. NKU is a real asset to the community as they continue to produce extraordinary, talented leaders for our region and beyond.”
According to his website, Ruby owns three steakhouses. He claims that a Northern Kentucky win could cost him around $1 million.
Ruby is stuck in a precarious situation. On one hand, his son is a NKU student. And on the other, an NKU win would cost him quite a pretty penny if it went down. But he seems to be doing it for a good cause, and money doesn’t appear to be an issue.
The Norse of Northern Kentucky will face off vs. the Wildcats on Friday evening at 9:40 p.m. ET on CBS.
