Temple beat 2023 Final Four participant Florida Atlantic 74-73 on Saturday to reach the AAC championship game and get within a game of the NCAA Tournament. No. 11 seed Temple missed two free throws in the final 10 seconds but forced a turnover as time expired to secure the victory.
The win comes amid news of a gambling investigation swirling around the program. Temple’s March 7 game against UAB was flagged by U.S. Integrity after the betting line moved 5.5 points in just a few hours before tipoff. Temple (16-19) went from a 2.5-point underdog to a seven-point underdog and lost, 100-72. In an email to The Athletic earlier this month, U.S. Integrity said it could not comment on an “ongoing investigation.”
Temple will face UAB in a rematch on Sunday, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Florida Atlantic’s loss also likely gives the AAC a second bid into the tournament and will leave one hopeful team on the bubble without a spot in the bracket.
Temple played multiple other games this season that featured irregular betting patterns, according to an examination by The Athletic.
The betting patterns around the three additional games are not evidence of illicit behavior by anyone involved with the games, and no one has been publicly accused of wrongdoing. But they are the types of patterns that regulators look for when attempting to identify suspicious behavior.
The Owls were 14.5-point underdogs in Saturday’s upset win.
Temple said earlier this month it was aware of social media posts regarding the game and would “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 university said in a statement.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is “reviewing the matter in regards to any impact in Pennsylvania,” Doug Harbach, the board’s director of communications, said.
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(Photo: Chris Jones / USA Today)
