The Temple Owls were blown out by UAB last night in a 100-72 loss that was tough to stomach. However, the betting trends prior to the game indicated that there was some ‘unsual activity’ on the Owls.
Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reported last night that the U.S Integrity, that monitors all betting activity across all sports, actually sent a notice to sportsbooks about the game.
That was the second straight loss for Temple and the second straight game in which the Owls did not come close to covering the spread.
Temple opened up as 1.5-point underdogs and ended up 8-point underdogs by the end of the night. Even such a drastic price movement wasn’t enough to get close to the 28-point deficit they eventually endured, but it is very interesting that this is the second game in a row where Temple’s line gets blasted downwards prior to a blowout loss.
“We are aware of the media reports regarding last night’s men’s basketball game,” Temple revealed in a statement via AP. “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.”
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board revealed that it too had received the alert and trying to determine the impact in Pennsylvania.
What’s causing the unsual wagering activity on the Temple Owls?
It’s unknown what exactly is pushing the line. Sometimes it can be injury related, but there aren’t any concerns on that front. The other possibility is heavy action coming in on the other team, but such a violent swing would need some intense betting on Temple opponents.
The Owls currently sit at 12-16-1 against the spread this season and will close out their campaign against UTSA on Sunday at 2pm. For those who like to back the Owls, it might be worth keeping an eye on the betting action in the hours before the game, or waiting until moments before the game to debatably get a price on a team suffering consecutive blowouts and lines that crash as gameday goes on.
AP Photo/Marta Lavandier
