NCAA bans six college basketball players for game-fixing, gambling violations at three schools

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has permanently banned six former men’s basketball players for participating in game-fixing and gambling schemes across three Division I programs - New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State and Arizona State - in one of the most sweeping disciplinary actions related to sports betting in college athletics.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions said the players, Dae Dae Hunter (UNO), Dyquavian Short (UNO) and Jamond Vincent (UNO) of New Orleans; Donovan Sanders (MVSU) and Alvin Stredic (MVSU) of Mississippi Valley State; and B.J. Freeman of Arizona State, were found to have manipulated games, shared insider information with known bettors, and misled investigators during questioning.

“While the cases at each school are not directly related, the violations for each case involved betting-related game manipulation and/or student-athletes providing information to known bettors,” the committee said. “All three cases involved a lack of cooperation by student-athletes, who knowingly provided false or misleading information to investigators.”

No sanctions were imposed on the schools themselves after investigators determined that coaches and other players were not aware of the schemes.

The most egregious case occurred at the University of New Orleans, where Hunter, Short, and Vincent allegedly conspired with outside bettors to influence the outcome of seven games in late 2024 and early 2025.

Investigators said the players intentionally altered their performances to affect betting spreads, including during a Dec. 28, 2024, game against McNeese State. The Privateers, who entered as 23-point underdogs, lost by 25.

A teammate told the NCAA that Short instructed him “not to score any more points” during a timeout near the end of the game. Text messages later showed Vincent sharing screenshots from FanDuel and DraftKings with betting instructions, while Short and Hunter discussed receiving $5,000 and held FaceTime calls with a known bettor.

The trio was suspended in January 2025 after New Orleans failed to cover the spread in six of the seven games linked to the scheme.

At Mississippi Valley State, the NCAA found that Sanders and Stredic were offered payments to influence games against Alabama A&M and Tulsa. Sanders was overheard discussing “throwing the game” before a Dec. 21, 2024, matchup with Tulsa, which sportsbooks later flagged after large bets poured in on the opposing team. MVSU lost by 45 points.

The NCAA said the betting handle for the Jan. 6, 2025, Alabama A&M game was 3.6 times higher than the average for Southwestern Athletic Conference contests.

Stredic denied wrongdoing, telling ESPN: “I had nothing to do with it. I gave the NCAA my phone, and that was it, and then I finished the season.” He said he had also spoken to the FBI about the case.

Former Arizona State guard B.J. Freeman, who averaged 13.7 points per game last season, was found to have shared confidential information with former Fresno State player Mykell Robinson and his then-girlfriend, both of whom bet on Freeman’s performances through daily fantasy sports platforms.

The NCAA said Freeman attempted to hit “overs” on his statistical categories, including points and assists, to profit from the wagers. He later denied having a fantasy sports account, but investigators found one registered under his name and email.

Freeman was dismissed from the Arizona State program in February 2025 and later declared permanently ineligible before transferring to UCF.

The revelations come amid a wider FBI probe into illegal betting and fraud schemes that have touched both college and professional basketball. Some of the same betting accounts involved in the Mississippi Valley State wagers were also linked to suspicious prop bets placed on NBA players Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier.

Porter pleaded guilty last year to federal charges for manipulating his performance, while Rozier faces similar allegations but has denied wrongdoing.

The NCAA said in October that it was investigating around 30 current or former players for potential betting violations. NCAA President Charlie Baker has since renewed calls for a nationwide ban on college player prop bets, warning that such wagers can lead to harassment and corruption risks for student-athletes.