Massive Point Shaving Scandal Rocks College Basketball

 

In a bombshell development that has sent shockwaves through college sports, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging 20 men in a sophisticated, transnational point-shaving scheme. The operation allegedly corrupted more than 39 players across at least 17 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams, resulting in the fixing or attempted fixing of over 29 games.

The charges, brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, detail a multi-year conspiracy spanning from September 2022 through February 2025. What began as an effort to manipulate games in China's professional league quickly expanded into American college basketball, capitalizing on the surge in legalized sports betting in the U.S.

According to the 70-page indictment, the group, described as "fixers", targeted players willing to subtly underperform. This often meant focusing on first-half spreads in lower-profile mid-major games, where players could miss shots, commit turnovers, foul unnecessarily, or suppress scoring without drawing immediate suspicion of tanking the entire contest.

Bribes to college players reportedly ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 per compromised game. The "fixers" then placed large wagers, sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, against the affected teams through sportsbooks, defrauding both betting platforms and unsuspecting individual bettors.

Players and Teams Involved

Kennesaw State

Eastern Michigan

Delaware State

Texas Southern

North Carolina A&T

Coppin State

Abilene Christian

Alabama State

Tulane

Nicholls State

Northwestern State

La Salle

As arrests, pleas, and further revelations unfold, the fallout could reshape recruiting, compliance monitoring, and even conference realignments. For now, the indictment serves as a stark warning: in an era where every possession can move betting lines, the line between competition and corruption has never been thinner. The full scope of damaged games, affected programs, and potential bans remains under investigation, but college basketball's integrity has taken another serious hit.