Former NCAA Hoops Players Found to Have Participated in Illegal Betting Activities

• Six former NCAA basketball players from three schools were found to have taken part in illegal betting activities.
• Two players from the same school were offered money to lose on purpose.
• This could be the tip of the iceberg regarding game manipulation in college sports.

Six former college basketball players were found by the NCAA to have taken part in betting schemes, including one to throw at least two games.

There could be more findings as the NCAA digs deeper into betting.

Two Mississippi Valley State Players Alleged of Game Manipulation

It was revealed on Friday that six former NCAA basketball players have participated in illegal betting schemes.

Donovan Sanders and Alvin Stredic from Mississippi Valley State were allegedly offered financial rewards for throwing a game in January 2025 against Alabama A&M. Sanders is also accused of potentially losing deliberately against Tulsa in December 2024.

Former New Orleans players Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short, and Jamond Vincent were found to have tried to lose games, and lose games by more than the spread at college basketball betting sites. The trio were found to have done this in seven games, according to the NCAA.

B.J. Freeman of Arizona State also allegedly provided information to a friend to wager on Freeman in daily fantasy. All six players have been permanently banned from the NCAA.

It’s a controversial time in sports betting right now. The NBA gambling scandal continues to roll on. There is a UFC gambling scandal brewing. Hundreds of soccer referees in Turkey have betting accounts. What’s next?

Will More Players Be Found to Have Participated in Illegal Betting Activity?

It would be a surprise if the NCAA didn’t find that more players have participated in illegal betting schemes, or at least have been approached. These are impressionable college kids, and while players can make money now through NIL deals, not everyone is making that money. So, they would be considered easier targets than professional players, although the pros have shown they’re also susceptible to these issues.

It’ll especially be interesting now that a player from a “big” school was found to have taken part in these schemes. Mississippi Valley State and New Orleans aren’t really known, but Arizona State is in the Big 12, which is a Power 5 conference. The team wasn’t good, but Freeman was a good player for the Sun Devils. That means the big schools likely have players who have been approached to throw games or shave points. The NCAA just finished this investigation, but they’re likely not done looking into more accusations of illegal betting activities.