- The Temple men’s basketball team is under investigation for an illegal match-fixing inquiry.
- The report broke after suspicious line movement in Temple’s game against UAB on Thursday, March 7.
- Loyola Mayland is the subject of a separate investigation into potential match-fixing.
Following suspicious line movement in the UAB Blazers (21-11) vs. Temple Owls (13-19) matchup, an official investigation has been opened into illegal match-fixing by Temple University.
On Thursday, March 7, gambling watchdog U.S. Integrity informed casinos and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board regarding “unusual betting activity” in the men’s college basketball tilt.
Despite no injuries or any suspensions, the game witnessed incredible line movement from the morning to the afternoon. As a 1.5-point favorite early in the day, the point spread skyrocketed to eight points in the mid-afternoon hours.
The game was non-competitive, as UAB pulled away for a 100-72 blowout to easily cover all numbers. The Blazers went into halftime with a 47-32 lead and then opened up their lead even further in the second half.
In separate news, the Maryland Lottery & Gaming Control is investigating a report of potential match-fixing in the Loyola Maryland men’s basketball program. Head coach Tavaras Hardy resigned shortly after the team recorded its worst season since 2004 at 7-25.
Temple Starters Anemic in Loss
The starting lineup for Temple was in significantly poor form in the loss against UAB. On Thursday, not one starting player scored in the double digits for the Owls. Guard Hysier Miller led the Owls’ starting lineup with eight points in the loss.
Jordan Riley and Steve Settle III were the only other Temple starters to score more than five points. Zion Stanford came off the bench to lead the Owls in scoring with 20 points.
Miller leads the team in production, averaging 15.4 points and 3.9 assists per contest.
Perhaps even more alarming was the lack of effort on the defensive end of the floor. Four UAB players notched at least 17 points per game in the 18-point victory over Temple.
UAB regularly had easy looks at the baskets against Temple’s porous defense. The Owls’ shoddy effort doesn’t necessarily indicate any guilt, but paired with the line movement, it was enough to get the attention of officials in the U.S. Integrity office.
In response, Temple University has announced its own investigation into the illegal match-fixing allegations.
“We are aware of the media reports regarding last night’s men’s basketball game,” Temple announced Friday. “We will review the reports thoroughly in accordance with university and NCAA policies. While we can’t comment further at this time, we take this matter very seriously.”
Following the allegations, Temple defeated the UTSA Roadrunners on Sunday, 84-82. Some sportsbooks, including Fanatics Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook, declined to offer odds on the game.
Not First Temple Game to Raise Suspicion
The loss to UAB isn’t the first game that the Temple basketball team has been under the microscope. In fact, the U.S. Integrity flagged three other Temple games for irregular betting patterns.
With that in mind, Temple’s games were being examined well before the initial news broke on Friday. Note that no illegal activity has been identified or proven by U.S. Integrity thus far.
The investigation is ongoing at this point, with all parties involved currently assumed to be innocent. However, if the allegations are proven in a court of law, a prison sentence could follow.
In 1997, a point-shaving scandal hit the Arizona State men’s basketball program after games from 1994 were fixed. The ringleader of the match-fixing scheme, Benny Silman, received a 46-month prison sentence after the prosecution recommended just a 42-month sentence.
Loyola (Md.) Joins Temple in Point Shaving Accusations
While details are currently not well-known, the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds men’s team is under investigation for the same reasons. The Maryland Lottery & Gaming Control Agency disclosed that there is an open investigation.
“We are aware of the investigation, and based on the scope of this investigation the Agency’s role is limited to providing licensee contact information,” said the Agency in an email to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde.
The Greyhounds concluded a turbulent season with a 64-48 loss to Navy in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament on Tuesday.
