NCAA: Suspicious wagers on college hoops down

The suspicious wagering activity that plagued college basketball over the previous two seasons -- and ultimately led to a federal point-shaving indictment -- has largely subsided this year, the NCAA and betting integrity sources told ESPN ahead of next week's tournaments.

Sportsbooks have detected far fewer instances of suspicious betting and dramatic line movements this season compared with the previous two, when federal authorities say a gambling ring was bribing players as part of a point-shaving scheme.

"We haven't had new, credible reports of games being compromised this season," Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement, told ESPN.

The NCAA men's basketball tournament will tip off two months after a federal point-shaving indictment was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The indictment alleges that dozens of games in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons were targeted. More than 20 players from 17 schools were accused of participating in the scheme allegedly orchestrated by five men, whom federal authorities described as "fixers" in the indictment. One of the defendants, Jalen Smith of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to charges related to the scheme earlier this week.

Integrity Compliance 360, a firm that monitors the betting markets, said alerts of unusual activity related to college basketball were down year over year.

"With the rise of betting-related scandals generally across sport, stakeholder engagement around proactive risk mitigation has increased," Scott Sadin, co-founder of IC360, told ESPN in a statement.

Sadin added that demand for betting-related educational sessions for athletes has never been higher and that more NCAA schools are allowing compliance offices to work directly with sportsbooks on preventive measures.

NCAA officials believe safeguards are in place to protect next week's tournament from gambling manipulation. For the first time, the NCAA is implementing mandatory player availability reports for the men's and women's basketball tournaments. It also is enhancing its approach to monitor for impermissible betting by officials.

The NCAA said it is still investigating and adjudicating some gambling cases overall, but Duncan said he believes the deterrence effect from the investigations and high-profile federal case has played a major role in combating additional attempts at manipulation.

"I feel comfortable this year's tournament, this year's games are going to be free from manipulation, free from the behaviors that would compromise the integrity of those games," Duncan said. "I'm hopeful that the sunlight that we were able to shine on this beginning last year deterred behavior."