I'm only speculating when I think about the developing relationships between casino's and the media. It does make sense.
As an aside, this weekend's games also come on the heels of an NCAA report on the increasing number of gamblers within collegiate sports. (I think it's SI who has an article covering the report.) And, for what it's worth, the report does mention the number of people placing wagers on sports all across campus has increased with little noted differences between student athletes and students.