Fresno State men's basketball betting investigation: Here's what we know

The Fresno State men’s basketball program is under investigation by both the university and the NCAA, ESPN reported Saturday. The news followed a report from the Fresno Bee about two players being held from Saturday’s game against Air Force due to potential ties to an internal investigation into betting activity.

That’s all coming to a head now, as ABC30 (Fresno) reported that two Fresno players caught up in the probe allegedly placed bets on games they played in, including unders on rebounds and point totals.

Here’s everything we know about the situation.

At least 3 players are part of the investigation

Guards Jalen Weaver and Zaon Collins were the two players withheld from Saturday’s game, but they weren’t the first players tied to the reported probe into potential betting activity, according to the Fresno Bee.

Mykell Robinson, who was removed from the roster after last playing on Jan. 11, is also involved in the investigation, the Bee reported, meaning at least three players are being looked into.

2 of the players bet on their own games

Weaver and Robinson allegedly bet on their own games at Fresno, ABC30’s Alec Nolan reported Sunday, building on his previous report that two of three players bet on Bulldogs games, including rebound and point total unders. Like Robinson, Weaver is now off the team, according to Nolan.

Collins allegedly bet on pro sports, which is still against NCAA rules but likely why he’s the only of the three to remain on the team.

https://twitter.com/AlecABC30/status/1893735520468975725

We don’t know the games involved, or if the bets were successful

It’s yet to be revealed which games any of the players allegedly bet on, so it’s hard to know how successful they were in any potential match-fixing. But for a program as bad as Fresno with players allegedly working against the best interest of the team, Fresno has actually been a decent betting team. The Bulldogs are 15-11-2 against the spread this season, and their games are 17-11 to the over.

Other than that, it’s been all bad. Their 23 losses are a program record, and head coach Vance Walberg’s squad is currently in the midst of a 10-game losing streak.

These are significant players on the team

None of the players being investigated are merely bench warmers. They were all starters and played significant roles, albeit for a Bulldogs squad that’s just 5-23 on the season.

Weaver is the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.5 points per game, Collins averages 12.0 points and a team-high 4.7 assists, and Robinson was averaging 10.3 points and 6.2 rebounds through 17 games before his removal.

Players could lose NCAA eligibility

NCAA rules say any player who gambles on his own games faces permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports. Players who gamble on pro sports are disciplined on a scale based on how much money was wagered.