Fresno State is sitting two of its top three scorers amid reports the school is investigating betting activity on men’s basketball games.
The school said Saturday that Jalen Weaver and Zaon Collins wouldn’t play against Air Force and were “being withheld from competition as the university reviews an eligibility matter. According to multiple reports including ESPN and the Fresno Bee, the school began investigating wagering activity after it was tipped off.
Mykell Robinson is no longer on the team’s roster and is also included in the investigation per the reports. Players in all NCAA sports are prohibited from sports betting and also prohibited from giving information to others for sports wagering purposes.
Weaver is the team’s second-leading scorer with 12.5 points per game, while Collins averages 12 points per game. Robinson hasn’t played in over a month and averaged 10.3 points per game over 17 games.
The Bulldogs are 5-23 after Saturday’s 72-69 loss to Air Force and have lost 10 straight Mountain West games. Fresno State is 15-11-2 against the spread this season and solidly mid-pack in that statistic among the over 350 teams at the top level of men’s college basketball.
The investigation is hardly the first in men’s college basketball since the nationwide ban on sports betting was lifted. Temple games were flagged for unusual activity at the end of the 2023-24 season and there is currently a federal investigation into a basketball gambling ring. At least three schools — North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State and Eastern Michigan — have been named as part of the investigation into the ring that was associated with former Toronto Raptors payer Jontay Porter.
Porter was banned from the NBA for life and has pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme. His sentencing is currently set for May 20 and he could face prison time.
