PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Temple University announced Friday it will review a report showing suspected unusual gambling activity in at least one game involving its men's basketball team, while Loyola University (Maryland) ) announced that it had learned of the incident and removed the individual from its basketball program. gambling violation.
The separate investigations came to light within hours of each other, a little more than a week before the start of the NCAA Tournament and in the middle of conference tournaments. It was a stark reminder that the spread of legalized gambling across the country has led to several incidents involving college sports programs.
Loyola said in a statement to The Associated Press that it took swift action when its basketball program was compromised.
“Loyola learned of an individual's gambling violation and immediately reported it to the NCAA. The individual was immediately removed from the program and the NCAA accepted the self-report and took no further action,” the school said. He did not disclose the person or the timing of the move.
Loyola said gaming watchdog US Integrity had analyzed the game and found “no abnormalities.” The announcement came just hours after basketball coach Tavarrus Hardy stepped down after six seasons. Mr. Hardy was not removed from the program for gambling violations, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the details have not been made public.
In Philadelphia, betting lines for Thursday night's Temple vs. UAB game skyrocketed from when the Blazers opened as two-point favorites, reaching a high of eight points, according to tracking website Covers.com. UAB covered the deficit with a 100-72 victory over Temple.
“I am aware of the media coverage regarding last night's men's basketball game,” Temple said. “We will thoroughly review the report in accordance with university and NCAA policies. Although we are unable to comment further at this time, we take this matter very seriously.”
The Owls are members of the American Athletic Conference, which confirms it is a U.S. integrity client, and there was no additional comment. US Integrity said it was in the “very early stages of obtaining information,” but otherwise declined to comment on the ongoing investigation. A UAB spokesperson declined to comment, adding, “This does not apply to us.”
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said it “received the alert and is reviewing the matter to determine if there are any implications for Pennsylvania.”
Point spreads can change dramatically when a sportsbook takes money on one side of a game. This line might be questionable if UAB, for example, received an overwhelming amount of money, but that would be unusual in an otherwise meaningless college basketball game where there were no major injuries or suspensions to key players.
At Westgate, which has sportsbooks in nine states, the line rose from 2 1/2 points to 8 points at one point. Jay Cornegay, race and sports manager at Westgate Las Vegas, said when the line reaches 7, the prize money is even and usually indicates the match is on the same level. Sportsbook directors are often suspicious when one side has an exorbitant amount of bets.
Coach Kornegay said of the Temple vs. UAB game: “We watched very closely late in the game to monitor for any kind of injuries. But when you look at the box score, everyone was playing.” . This was a big move and not normal, but there was nothing suspicious about it. ”
Temple is still 11-19 in coach Adam Fisher's first season and will face UTSA in its final regular-season game Sunday in San Antonio. The Owls open the conference tournament next week in Fort Worth, Texas.
The rise in legal sports betting in the United States, especially among college students, has raised concerns that it could increase stress on athletes and increase the likelihood of cheating. NCAA President Charlie Baker said earlier this year that the NCAA is working to modify “draconian” penalties for college athletes who violate sports betting rules.
The topic made headlines last year with two high-profile cases. Approximately 20 Iowa State and Iowa State athletes have been criminally charged after a state investigation into illegal sports betting. Some charges were dropped after it was determined that investigators had misused tracking software that detected mobile gambling apps open at Iowa State athletic facilities.
This comes not long after the University of Alabama fired its baseball coach amid an investigation into suspicious betting involving a Crimson Tide game at LSU. Brad Bohannon was accused of providing information to a gambler who used that information to place illegal bets against the Crimson Tide.
Last May, US Integrity launched a tip line that allows athletes, coaches and staff to anonymously report gambling allegations to regulators and law enforcement.
Associated Press sportswriters John Zenner and Mark Anderson contributed.
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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