Report: Fresno State basketball under investigation for sports betting activity

Fresno State men’s basketball is under investigation for alleged sports betting activity, the Fresno Bee reported Saturday. Multiple players were held out of Saturday’s game against Air Force for what the university described as “eligibility” reasons.

Jalen Weaver and Zaon Collins will miss Saturday’s game, and the Fresno Bee reported they could be part of the internal investigation. Mykell Robinson is also involved, according to the report, and his name has been removed from the roster.

The school didn’t confirm the reason for Weaver and Collins’ absences. However, it said in a statement they would be out for the game.

“Fresno State men’s basketball student-athletes Jalen Weaver and Zaon Collins are being withheld from competition as the university reviews an eligibility matter,” the statement to the Fresno Bee said.

How involved the players were is unclear, according to the report. However, NCAA rules prohibit gambling on games or giving information to individuals involved in betting activity.

Fresno State is the latest college basketball program to come under a betting-related investigation. Three programs – Eastern Michigan, Mississippi Valley State and North Carolina A&T – are all part of a reported betting ring that also involves NBA games, according to ESPN’s David Purdum.

Purdum reported in the case of Eastern Michigan and North Carolina A&T, both were flagged for suspicious activity by “betting integrity monitors” for wagers regarding first-half spreads.

Looking at Eastern Michigan, games against Wright State and Central Michigan this season came into question. In both cases, the Eagles went into the locker room behind. They came back to beat Wright State, but came up short against CMU.

Just one game was mentioned by Purdum for North Carolina A&T. Jan. 9 against Delaware, the first-half line moved up to Delaware -3.5 from -2 ahead of tip while the full-game line remained at -4. The Blue Hens would go on to cover that spread, leading by six at the half.

The accounts making these bets have been tied to former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, who was banned from the NBA and is facing criminal charges. Terry Rozier is involved as well from his time with the Charlotte Hornets.

Additionally, 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.

Griffin McVeigh contributed.