UAB vs. Temple Flagged for 'Unusual Wagering Activity' by Gambling Watchdog Company
March 8, 2024
Thursday's men's basketball game between UAB and Temple generated the interest of gambling watchdog company U.S. Integrity.
Per Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, U.S. Integrity sent out an alert to casinos regarding "unusual wagering activity" leading up to tipoff between the AAC rivals.
"We are aware they flagged it," AAC men's basketball director of communications Tom Fenstermaker told Forde.
Forde noted the betting line moved "significantly" over the course of the day, with one casino shifting UAB from a favorite by 1.5 points in the morning to an eight-point favorite in the afternoon.
The line eventually settled at seven points before tipoff.
UAB went on to win the game 100-72. It was the first time the Blazers have hit the 100-point mark since Nov. 26, 2022, when they defeated Rhodes College 110-53.
Temple has lost back-to-back games after three consecutive victories. Forde noted this was also the second straight loss for the Owls in which they "did not come close" to covering the spread.
The Owls were favored by 5.5 points going into Saturday's home game Tulsa but were defeated 72-67. Tulsa started the contest on a 16-2 run and held on for the victory.
According to Forde, U.S. Integrity has been monitoring Temple games for "a while."
Pat Forde @ByPatFordeStatement from Temple: "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… <a href="https://t.co/KFQwuiikUp">https://t.co/KFQwuiikUp</a>
Temple has an 11-19 record overall and has lost 13 of 17 AAC games. The program is going to finish with a losing record for the first time since the 2020-21 season (5-11) that was only 16 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Integrity is employed by several college conferences around the country to monitor any gambling activity around member schools. It also provides education and consulting services to players and coaches about how wagering is tracked.
The gambling watchdog group most recently uncovered a gambling scandal involving Alabama baseball that resulted in head coach Brad Bohannon being fired by the program in May 2023.