Temple University Undergoing Review For Suspicious Gambling Activity At Basketball Game

Temple University said that it was investigating allegations of men’s basketball Division 1 match manipulation.

Temple University Undergoing Review For Suspicious Gambling Activity At Basketball Game

A university spokesman stated in a statement on Friday that the Owls and Blazers from the University of Alabama-Birmingham played on March 7 at Temple’s Liacouras Center arena in Philadelphia.

“We are aware of the media reports regarding last night’s men’s basketball game,” it said. “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.”

In 2023, a betting scandal shook college athletics when Brad Bohannon, the baseball coach for Alabama, was sacked for allegedly changing the starting pitcher while speaking with a person who was placing a wager against the Crimson Tide.

While the specifics behind the strange activities that sparked an inquiry are still emerging, speculation concerning Temple basketball isn’t exactly apparent at this moment.

However, within two hours of sportsbooks opening for the game, the betting line jumped to 8 points in favor of UAB, according to Connelly, who described the uptick as “typically unheard of this late in the college basketball season without any meaningful news or injuries.”

UAB eventually prevailed 100–72. Interestingly, UAB outrebound Temple by 22 points; this was the Owls’ lowest rebounding effort since 2019.

UAB declined to comment, an Associated Press representative said.

The Owls have an 11-19 record, while the Blazers are now 19-11.

With no significant injuries involved, UAB started the day as a 1.5-point away favorite, but by the afternoon, the line had moved up to eight points. In Philadelphia, UAB would easily defeat the Owls, winning 100–72.

Despite the fact that Temple comfortably missed the spread for the second straight game, which prompted concerns, Sports Illustrated stated that U.S. Integrity has been keeping an eye on Temple “for a while.”

Though it’s unclear what drew the watchdog’s interest in the first place, one game has become the subject of conjecture.

Other than mentioning Temple’s statement, the AAC declined to comment to NBC News. A request for comment from a USI representative was not immediately answered.

Since a huge gambling controversy involving Boston College and infamous gangster Henry Hill in the late 1970s, there hasn’t been a major issue involving NCAA men’s basketball.

But the continued authorization of online sports betting and the surge in interest in it that followed in recent years could have made it more likely that something similar would happen in the future.

 

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