Thursday night’s UAB-Temple men’s basketball game was flagged by gambling watchdog US Integrity, citing “unusual wagering activity” that took place the day of the game.
The company, employed by the American Athletic Conference, notified casinos of suspicious line movement, leading many books to stop taking bets on the game. According to Sports Illustrated, US Integrity has been monitoring Temple games for “some time.”
US Integrity is the same company that unearthed the Alabama baseball betting scandal that led to the firing of Crimson Tide head coach Brad Bohannon.
The Blazers, playing on the road at Temple’s Liacouras Center, were roughly two-point favorites on Thursday morning. UAB received a massive influx of betting money throughout the day; by 6 PM, they had ballooned to eight-point favorites. The consensus line eventually settled at -7.5 in favor of the Blazers.
A single-day odds shift of that magnitude is nearly unprecedented. In fact, it was one of the largest single-day shifts of any college basketball game this season. Line movement that significant would usually spell major injury or suspension news — but neither UAB nor Temple were missing any players.
Of note:
There were no late-breaking injuries or suspensions that could affect a line as much as this one was.
@2ndChancePoints noted the unusual line shift leading up to the game.
This is why conferences hire firms like U.S. Integrity.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 8, 2024
The Blazers routed the Owls, 100-72. UAB out-rebounded Temple 41-19, TU’s worst rebounding margin in five years, and grabbed ten offensive boards to the Owls’ one. The Blazers made threes at a 55.6% clip and turned the ball over just seven times. UAB became only the fourth team since 1949 to score 100 or more points at Temple.
This is not the first time an Owls game has seen odd shifts in betting lines. Gambling analyst Jim Root described a Temple/Memphis game earlier this season where Memphis “got bet for no reason” despite neither team having any major injuries or suspensions.
“It’s weird to see it a second time with Temple,” added Root. “This is bizarre. It is not a normal happening in the market, especially this late in the season.”
"There's nothing we can find here. Look, I'm not gonna say this is point-shaving…It's weird to see it a second time with Temple."
Jim Root on the Temple basketball team's line dramatically shifting for the second time this year.pic.twitter.com/nBSlnAUYZ8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 8, 2024
Temple failed to cover a spread for the second consecutive game. The Owls, 5.5-point home favorites against Tulsa on March 2nd, lost by five.
Per veteran Philadelphia sports journalist Howard Eskin, a “conference and/or NCAA investigation” into the Temple basketball program may be on the horizon.
There is now a lot of buzz about a possible conference and/or #NCAA investigation looking into Temple basketball and not just with last night’s game against UAB. https://t.co/0SH8C0XWKj
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) March 8, 2024
Both the American Athletic Conference and Temple University have been made aware of the situation.
“We are aware they flagged it,” AAC communications director Tom Fenstermaker told Sports Illustrated.
“We are aware of the social media posts regarding last night’s men’s basketball game. We will review the reports thoroughly in accordance with university and NCAA policies. While we can’t comment any further at this time, we take this matter very seriously,” stated Chad Cooper, Temple’s strategic communications director.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is “reviewing the matter,” a spokesperson said.
Charles Vaughan is a sports analyst and contributing writer for Yellowhammer News.
