Eastern Michigan basketball games flagged for suspicious betting

Multiple Eastern Michigan basketball games are under investigation for suspicious betting activity, ESPN’s David Purdum reported. The Jan. 14 matchup against Central Michigan and the Dec. 21 game against Wright State were both flagged by investigators.

Integrity Compliance 360, a sports betting monitor, sent alerts to clients saying a bettor tried to place “their largest wager to date” on Central Michigan to cover the first-half spread against EMU. The activity took place in two different jurisdictions – one Connecticut and another in Tennessee.

The halftime line moved from CMU -3.5 to CMU -6.5 during the hour before tip-off, ESPN reported. Central Michigan got a three-pointer from Damarion Bonds to take a 39-33 lead into the break. The game between Eastern Michigan and Wright State also saw suspicious activity against the Eagles in the first half. EMU was a 2.5-point favorite and trailed 38-27 at halftime.

An Eastern Michigan spokesperson acknowledged the investigation in a statement to ESPN. The school learned of the inquiry Wednesday, but did not have much further comment.

“We became aware of the matter on Wednesday and a review is underway,” the statement read. “At this time we do not know anything further about what may have precipitated the suspicious activity. We are working with the Mid-American Conference and will provide further details as we learn additional information.”

Eastern Michigan fell to 7-9 on the season with the loss to Central Michigan, and the Eagles have now lost seven of their last nine games. They’re preparing to take on Bowling Green on the road on Saturday.

The EMU investigation is the latest sports betting-related inquiry in college basketball. Last year, Temple and Loyola Maryland came under review for suspicious wagering activity.

Loyola Maryland played its final game of the season against Navy – a 64-48 loss in the Patriot League Tournament. That meant the Greyhounds’ season ended with a 7-26 overall record and a 5-13 mark in conference play. One day later, head coach Tavaras Hardy announced he was stepping down, although that decision was not related to the gambling situation.

News of the Loyola Maryland situation came less than 24 hours after another emerged involving Temple. The Owls took on UAB in their penultimate regular season game. After the Blazers opened as 1.5-point favorites, though, the spread ballooned to eight or 8.5, depending on the book.

UAB went on to win the game 100-72 at Temple, and watchdog U.S. Integrity sent an alert to casinos about suspicious activity involving the game.