College Sports (Basketball)

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#1      

Dan

Dan
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Dan
Welcome to the college sports news thread.
 
#7      
MDchicago
#8      
WeWillWhen
Dozens charged in college basketball point-shaving plot

www.espn.com

Many college players among dozens charged in point-shaving plot

A college basketball point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 players on 17 teams resulted in dozens of games in the previous two seasons being fixed by a gambling ring that included a former NBA player, according to a federal indictment.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Schools Named in Indictment​

Abilene Christian
Alabama State
Buffalo
Coppin State
DePaul
Eastern Michigan
Fordham
Kennesaw State
La Salle
New Orleans
Nicholls State
North Carolina A&T
Northwestern State
Robert Morris
Saint Louis
Southern Miss
Tulane
 
#9      
PasadenaIllini
This is absolutely nuts. A few weeks back, I was talking to a friend about the wager fixing scandal in the NBA and whether we'd soon see the same thing break in college basketball. Low and behold. If these are the folks who've been caught, there are probably plenty of others out there who've done the same thing and gotten away with it.
 
#10      
OrangeBlue98
PasadenaIllini said:
This is absolutely nuts. A few weeks back, I was talking to a friend about the wager fixing scandal in the NBA and whether we'd soon see the same thing break in college basketball. Lo and behold. If these are the folks who've been caught, there are probably plenty of others out there who've done the same thing and gotten away with it.
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I’m actually less surprised that we are seeing this in the NCAA than the NBA. More impressionable, younger people. The possibility of college students with less money being on the gambling side.

Anyone with critical thinking skills could see this coming.
 
#11      
Tommy Gun
I saw that Mac Etienne has already reached a plea agreement in the latest point shaving scandal. I remember when he was a "hot" recruit that many of us was so important to the future of Illini Basketball, back in early Covid, like 2020-21. We allegedly had the inside track, until Blueblood UCLA swooped in and got his commitment. The story was that Mac was very young and very skilled. A project, but not a DIFFICULT PROJECT. I remember seeing him play (on TV) when he was pressed into starting a game for UCLA (injuries, I think)...Wow, he was so, so, so young and so totally unready. Absolutely shouldn't have been on the court. Then he had a spitting incident after a game at the University of Arizona, for which he was arrested. Then he matriculated down to DePaul, where he averaged 1.6 ppg on a 3-29 team (and somehow was tapped to fix games in a trivial role on an atrocious team...but apparently there was money to be made in gambling (TYVM FanDuel, DraftKings, et al). Then, last year, at LaSalle, he averaged 5.2 ppg for a 15-19. I'm rambling, and I really don't know what my point is. But it's sad to see such hype and alleged potential turn...into this, whatever it is. May Mac find peace and clarity.
 
#12      
Roundball Sage
blackdog said:
Sports betting is the devil and allowing betting on college sports should not be a thing
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But there is big, big money behind sports gambling in college and pros' so it is not going to go away.

And Sports have always been a bit dirty. Things like the Black Sox scandal happened over a hundred years ago.

SO... what is true Sports fan to do? Easy. Figure out which teams and players are likely to take bribes and soil the sport. Then, figure out who the Big Money People are going to bet on.

Then, figure out if that particular game is worth watching either for emotional attachment or if you yourself have a wager going on it.

It’s a different kind of Sports. It’s requiring a different kind of Sports Fan.

You gotta love ‘progress’...

Innocense once lost does not return.
 
#13      
Guest
Tommy Gun said:
I saw that Mac Etienne has already reached a plea agreement in the latest point shaving scandal. I remember when he was a "hot" recruit that many of us was so important to the future of Illini Basketball, back in early Covid, like 2020-21. We allegedly had the inside track, until Blueblood UCLA swooped in and got his commitment. The story was that Mac was very young and very skilled. A project, but not a DIFFICULT PROJECT. I remember seeing him play (on TV) when he was pressed into starting a game for UCLA (injuries, I think)...Wow, he was so, so, so young and so totally unready. Absolutely shouldn't have been on the court. Then he had a spitting incident after a game at the University of Arizona, for which he was arrested. Then he matriculated down to DePaul, where he averaged 1.6 ppg on a 3-29 team (and somehow was tapped to fix games in a trivial role on an atrocious team...but apparently there was money to be made in gambling (TYVM FanDuel, DraftKings, et al). Then, last year, at LaSalle, he averaged 5.2 ppg for a 15-19. I'm rambling, and I really don't know what my point is. But it's sad to see such hype and alleged potential turn...into this, whatever it is. May Mac find peace and clarity.
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Maybe, looking at his trajectory, he felt he had nothing to lose. In fact, most, if not all, of these colleges are mid-major. Maybe some players are envious of the money the big schools are throwing at their players, and say to themselves, heck, why not? I’m never going to make that kind of money, so I may as well cheat.
 
#14      
I-L-L 1318
I wonder if Sportsbooks being live online allow for these people to be caught. Obviously much more easy to access....but if there's 80k being laid on a Depaul Game numerous times throughout the year, I imagine these Sportsbooks have algorithms to flag it.
 
#15      
Calvin
I-L-L 1318 said:
I wonder if Sportsbooks being live online allow for these people to be caught. Obviously much more easy to access....but if there's 80k being laid on a Depaul Game numerous times throughout the year, I imagine these Sportsbooks have algorithms to flag it.
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I'm kind of curious how they handle it. Some random thoughts
The betting world allows an insane variety of ways to bet, which I'm sure increases interest and the amount of wagers
My (non-expert) understanding is that they work the bets so they always win by keeping the betting even on both sides of a wager, or the payouts slightly below what's wagered. So they're rarely exposed to much risk. They'll shut down betting if the wagers are out-of-line with their analytics or so much is coming in on one side that they can't move the line enough.
That said, scandals are bad for business so they still have incentive to keep shaving out (or covered up).
 
#16      
bdutts
I-L-L 1318 said:
I wonder if Sportsbooks being live online allow for these people to be caught. Obviously much more easy to access....but if there's 80k being laid on a Depaul Game numerous times throughout the year, I imagine these Sportsbooks have algorithms to flag it.
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There is a company that the UFC and others use to check abnormal betting patterns. This company, Integrity Compliance, saw strange betting patterns for a UFC fight and notified the bookmakers and they ended up pulling those bets. There are multiple companies that provide said services.

Most people have others bet for them when they know it’s illegal but offering prison time to regular guys usually gets them to cough up the info.
 
#17      
IlliniFan42
I-L-L 1318 said:
I wonder if Sportsbooks being live online allow for these people to be caught. Obviously much more easy to access....but if there's 80k being laid on a Depaul Game numerous times throughout the year, I imagine these Sportsbooks have algorithms to flag it.
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To bet online, the sportsbook needs you to identify yourself and your location. For point shaving specifically, their system will flag a guy who bets the under and almost always hits, especially for relatively obscure teams. If the bets were made on the suspect's phone, that makes it even easier because the government could pull the phone records and confirm communication with players.
 
#18      
Oracle21
Eventually fixers will figure out how to beat the sports books. But right now they flag anything suspicious. And wagering big amounts on low level games is too easy to spot. And all these guys can make way more money fixing low level games than anything they are getting paid. Happens all the time in low level tennis
 
#19      
PasadenaIllini
Oracle21 said:
Eventually fixers will figure out how to beat the sports books. But right now they flag anything suspicious. And wagering big amounts on low level games is too easy to spot. And all these guys can make way more money fixing low level games than anything they are getting paid. Happens all the time in low level tennis
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They get around this by hiring a bunch of guys to place small bets for them. It can be difficult to spot, particularly if the hired wagerers time their wagers well.
 
#21      
lstewart53x3
Oracle21 said:
I also think you have to lose some to mask it. Sportsbooks hate winners
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I read a fascinating tweet the other day. I’ll look around for it tomorrow and share it if I can find it. One of the things it mentioned is that the online betting sites like Draft Kings can tell with a 90% certainty what the LTV of a new sign up will be just by the how they set up their account (location, payment methods, type of phone, etc).
 
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#22      
Grandpa
lstewart53x3 said:
I read a fascinating tweet the other day. I’ll look around for it tomorrow and share it if I can find it. One of the things it mentioned is that the online betting sites like Draft Kings can tell with a 90% certainty what the LTV of a new sign up will be just by the how they set up their account (location, payment methods, type of phone, etc).
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Google said Lifetime Value?
 
#24      
blackdog
This seems like a potentially monumental decision. The only potential saving grace is the 5 years of eligibility rule otherwise all bets are off.

www.espn.com

Charles Bediako gets TRO for Alabama return in NCAA lawsuit

Charles Bediako, a former Alabama standout who entered the NBA draft in 2023, has been granted a temporary restraining order to return to the team, a judge ruled Wednesday.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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