NCAA revokes eligibility of 6 more college basketball players as it continues sports betting probe

NCAA President Charlie Baker speaks during the Division I Business Session at the annual NCAA convention, Jan. 15, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

The NCAA revoked the eligibility of six men’s college basketball players on Friday as a result of three separate sports-betting cases that involved a power-conference school and allegations of players throwing games to lose by more points than the spread.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an investigation that concluded Chatton “BJ” Freeman at Arizona State; Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short and Jamond Vincent at New Orleans and Donovan Sanders and Alvin Stredic at Mississippi Valley State either manipulated their performances to lose games, not cover bet lines or ensure certain prop bets were reached, or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season.

The development comes as the sporting world contends with mounting scrutiny over betting. Nearly three dozen people were arrested last month, including an NBA player and coach, for what federal law enforcement officials described as their involvement in various illicit gambling activities. Just this week, UFC President and CEO Dana White said he was in touch with the FBI regarding a match that involved unusual betting patterns.

For its part, the NCAA said last month it was investigating at least 30 current or former players for gambling allegations. The NCAA also banned three college basketball players in September for betting on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State.

Arizona State is the only power-conference school involved in the recent announcements. Freeman became implicated in the investigation when the NCAA reviewed text messages between him and a player banned in September, Mykell Robinson, who played at Fresno State. Records on Robinson’s phone indicated that on four separate occasions between November and December 2024, Freeman knowingly provided information to Robinson, who was betting on Freeman through daily fantasy sports accounts.

Freeman also knowingly provided information on at least two occasions to his then-girlfriend, who was also betting on Freeman.

In one instance, Freeman provided information to Robinson to bet the over on Freeman’s turnover total against Florida on Dec. 14, 2024, according to the NCAA. Arizona State entered the game 8-1, having recently beaten two eventual-NCAA Tournament teams. The Sun Devils lost 83-66 to the ninth-ranked Gators, and went on to finish the season 13-20. Freeman had one turnover in the game.

Arizona State declined to comment on the case when contacted by The Associated Press.

The violations at New Orleans against Hunter, Short and Vincent came to light after the NCAA received a tip about game manipulation. The NCAA said a student-athlete overheard the three players discuss a third party placing a bet on their game against McNeese State on Dec. 28, 2024. New Orleans lost 86-61.

That same student-athlete reported that during a timeout near the end of the game, Short instructed him not to score any more points. New Orleans suspended all three student-athletes for the remainder of the season while it investigated the allegations.

The NCAA investigation showed that the three players manipulated their performances in seven games from December through January to lose by more points than the spread for that game.

New Orleans President Kathy Johnson said university staff members were not aware of the violations.

“The University of New Orleans holds itself to the highest standards of integrity, character, and sportsmanship and we appreciate the NCAA’s thorough process and remain fully committed to compliance with all NCAA and conference rules,” Johnson wrote in a statement to the AP. “We will continue to work closely with the NCAA and our conference partners to ensure that all student-athletes understand and uphold the expectations of participation in intercollegiate athletics.”

The NCAA reached out to an integrity monitoring service to review Mississippi Valley State games after a related, but separate NBA gambling ring that was uncovered earlier this year showed potential ties to college basketball, including the school.

The service indicated betting trends for the Mississippi Valley State games on Jan. 6 against Alabama A&M were suspicious. Mississippi Valley State lost 79-67.

During an interview with the NCAA, a men’s basketball student-athlete said that before the team’s Dec. 21, 2024, game, he overhead Sanders on the phone with an unknown third party talking about “throwing the game.”

Sanders asked the student-athlete to participate in the call because the third party had told Sanders the individual intended to bet on the game and wanted to know that another of Sanders’ teammates would participate in the scheme.

The student-athlete denied altering his performance or receiving money from Sanders or any other individuals. Sanders texted the same student-athlete after that game and told him to delete their messages.

During a second interview, Sanders could not explain the student-athlete’s account of the events or the text messages. He did say, however, that he and Stredic were offered money to throw the team’s Jan. 6 game by another anonymous caller, who instructed them to perform poorly in the first half.

The enforcement staff demonstrated that Sanders knowingly provided information to a third party for the purposes of sports betting for two games and Stredic did the same for one game.

Mississippi Valley State didn’t respond to the AP’s request for comment.

These announcements come in the wake of the NCAA potentially allowing student athletes and staff to bet on professional sports. It was originally approved by all three Divisions and was set to go into effect on Nov. 1, but late last month the Division I Board voted to delay the start date until Nov. 22.

A rarely used rule allows 30 days for each Division I school to vote to rescind a proposal if it is adopted by less than 75% of the Division I cabinet. Even if the rule passes, no college sports are allowed to be bet on by players.

Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press