NCAA rules on eligibility of six college players for throwing games

The NCAA has banned six former college basketball players for their role in schemes to manipulate games for betting purposes.

After three separate investigations, the NCAA announced the permanent bans on Friday. The governing body said the players provided information to known bettors, and they also failed to cooperate with the investigations or provided false or misleading information.

The players and their schools are Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short and Jamond Vincent, New Orleans; Donovan Sanders and Alvin Stredic, Mississippi Valley; and Chatton "BJ" Freeman, Arizona State.

None of the six are still enrolled at those schools.

In the New Orleans case, the NCAA said a student-athlete reported overhearing Hunter, Short and Vincent talk about a third party placing a bet for them on the school's Dec. 28, 2024 game. That player reported that near the end of the game, Short gave him an order not to score any more points.

According to the NCAA, the investigation revealed text messages between Vincent and three third parties in which the player said he and his teammates intended to "throw the game" on Dec. 28. Evidence on the phone also showed communication between the three players, as well as between Short, Hunter and a bettor.

"Hunter, Short and Vincent manipulated their performances for the purpose of financially benefiting themselves and others in seven games from December through January," the NCAA said in its report of the investigation's findings. "In all seven games, Hunter, Short and Vincent lost or attempted to lose by more points than the betting spread identified by sportsbook operators, in a conspiracy with outside bettors."

In the Mississippi Valley case, the NCAA found that Sanders gave information to a third party about how to bet on two games and Stredic did the same for one game in early 2025.

An integrity monitoring service that reviewed Mississippi Valley reported to the NCAA that some circumstances surrounding the school's Jan. 6 game were suspicious, and Mississippi Valley launched an investigation.

Another men's basketball player said the conduct went back at least as far Dec. 21, 2024, telling investigators that he heard Sanders discuss "throwing the game."

And at Arizona State, Freeman provided information to his girlfriend and to Mykell Robinson, then a player at Fresno State, regarding ways to bet on Freeman through daily fantasy sports accounts.

--Field Level Media