Temple’s game against UAB on Thursday wasn’t the only game this season played after unusual betting activity this season, according to a new report.
The Athletic found that the Owls had at least three other games this season that “generated irregular betting patterns” before tipoff, starting with their Feb. 8 contest against Memphis.
Hours before that game, the odds shifted from -6.5 to -10.5 in Memphis’ favor — a massive shift barring a key injury — according to the Athletic.
The Tigers won that game by 7.
Three weeks later, on Feb. 28, the total of Temple’s game against Rice dropped from 145 to 140.5 in the hours leading up to the titlt in yet another unusual odds shift.
The teams would combine for just 107 points.
On March 2, just five days before the news of the suspicious pattern became public, the total for the Owls’ game against Tulsa dropped precipitously once again, falling from 144 to 136.5 this time.
They would combine for 139 points in that game.
The outlet’s investigation comes after UAB’s lopsided win over Temple on Thursday, which drew the attention of a gambling watchdog.
U.S. Integrity notified casinos about the massive odds shift, which saw the Blazers go from 1.5-point to 7.5-point favorites, before their 100-72 win, according to Sports Illustrated.
The publication reported that U.S. Integrity, which is employed by the American Athletic Conference, has been monitoring Temple games.
“We are aware they flagged it,” AAC men’s basketball director of communications Tom Fenstermaker told SI.
Fanatics Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook will not be offering odds on Temple’s final regular season game against UT-San Antonio on Sunday, the Athletic reported.
“We are aware of the social media posts regarding last night’s men’s basketball game,” the university said in a statement on Friday. “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.”
