With gambling taking center stage in the sports world, attention is drawn to the practice of game-fixing.
U.S. Integrity, a watchdog company overseeing gambling activities, issued a warning to casinos on Thursday regarding unusual betting patterns surrounding the UAB Blazers-Temple Owls men’s basketball game, as confirmed by the American Athletic Conference to Sports Illustrated.
Tom Fenstermaker, the AAC men’s basketball director of communications, acknowledged the alert, stating, “We are aware they flagged it.”
Throughout Thursday, there was notable fluctuation in the betting line leading up to the game. At one casino, the line shifted from UAB being a 1.5-point favorite over Temple at the start of the day to UAB favored by eight points in the afternoon, eventually settling at seven points closer to tip-off. The Blazers went on to defeat the Owls 100–72 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Temple’s home gym.
This marked Temple’s second consecutive loss, during which they failed to cover the spread. Last Saturday, the Owls, favored by 5.5 points at home against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, lost by five points. Tulsa secured an early 16–2 lead and maintained their advantage throughout the game.
Under the leadership of coach Adam Fisher in his inaugural season, the Owls hold an 11–19 overall record and a 4–14 record in league play. Their regular season is set to conclude on Sunday against the UTSA Roadrunners.
Sources within the gambling sector indicate that U.S. Integrity has been monitoring Temple’s games for some time. Temple has yet to respond to requests for comment.
The AAC, among other NCAA conferences, relies on U.S. Integrity to oversee gambling activities involving its member schools and to provide educational resources to athletes and staff on the monitoring of wagering activities. The rise of legalized sports betting has led to increased vigilance against improper conduct surrounding college sports competitions.
U.S. Integrity previously played a role in uncovering the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball betting scandal last spring, resulting in the dismissal of coach Brad Bohannon.
