Two more sports betting controversies have rocked the college basketball world.
Fresno State and University of New Orleans both held multiple players out this week as investigations began.
Fresno State reported that Jalen Weaver and Zaon Collins “are being withheld from competition as the university reviews an eligibility matter.”
Moreover, ESPN reported Mykell Robinson was also part of the investigation. Robinson is no longer part of the team and hasn’t played since Jan. 11.
The university and the NCAA began an investigation into the players. Weaver and Collins were two of the Bulldogs’ leading scorers, both averaging more than 12 points per game. Robinson averaged more than 10 points before being removed from the team.
Fresno State has struggled this year with a 5-23 record and are 1-16 in Mountain West play. The exact nature of the gambling investigation remains unknown.
UNO Loses Top Producers
At the University of New Orleans, four of the team’s top players have been held out since Jan. 27.
James White, Jah Short, Dae Dae Hunter, and Jamond Vincent are all now reportedly part of an investigation by the school and the NCAA.
White was the squad’s leading scorer, averaging more than 19 points per game. Short, Hunter, and Vincent all averaged around 8 points per game. As in Fresno, the exact details on what is being investigated isn’t known.
College sports betting scandals are on the rise recently.
A Temple basketball game was flagged for suspicious gambling activity and other basketball programs may have been targeted over the last two years, according to an ESPN report.
Additionally, in 2023, now-former University of Alabama baseball head coach Brad Bohannon lost his job after he gave inside information to a bettor who wanted to wager against the Crimson Tide.
Shortly after the Alabama scandal, another one was uncovered in Iowa, where more than a dozen athletes were charged with illegal sports betting.
“The NCAA takes sports betting very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition,” the NCAA noted in a statement. “The Association works with integrity monitoring services, state regulators and other stakeholders to conduct appropriate due diligence whenever suspicious reports are received. Due to confidentiality rules put in place by NCAA member schools, the NCAA will not comment on current or potential investigations.”