LAFAYETTE, La. (103.3 The GOAT) -- Four Louisiana universities are tied to a federal investigation into point-shaving and game-fixing in college basketball, and a former LSU player has been named in the case, federal prosecutors said.
Federal authorities charged 20 people Thursday in connection with a scheme involving dozens of college basketball players across more than 17 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams. The indictment says players "fixed and attempted to fix" over 29 games.
Four Louisiana schools had former players named in the investigation: Tulane University in New Orleans, McNeese State in Lake Charles, Nicholls State in Thibodaux, and Northwestern State in Natchitoches.
All four Louisiana schools compete in Division I athletics. Tulane plays in the American Athletic Conference. McNeese State, Nicholls State, and Northwestern State all compete in the Southland Conference.
Games involving these Louisiana universities were rigged or impacted by the scheme, investigators say. The indictment names teams from across the country, including Alabama State, Western Michigan University, Butler, St. John's, East Carolina, St. Louis University, Duquesne, La Salle, Fordham, SUNY Buffalo, Kent State, Ohio University, Georgetown, DePaul, Robert Morris, Southern Miss, North Carolina A&T, Kennesaw State, Coppin State, Abilene Christian, and Eastern Michigan.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced the indictment at a news conference Thursday. He said the scheme spanned three years and involved 17 NCAA Division I men's programs.
This investigation comes less than three months after NBA players Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were among dozens arrested in an FBI crackdown on illegal gambling rings. Federal authorities have stepped up their focus on sports betting corruption at multiple levels of basketball.
Point-shaving schemes involve players intentionally underperforming or manipulating game outcomes to affect point spreads. Conspirators profit from sports betting. These allegations strike at the integrity of college athletics and can devastate programs, players, and fans.
Former LSU basketball player Antonio Blakeney was named in the indictment but not charged in this case. According to The Advocate, Blakeney was playing for the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association when he allegedly became involved in point-shaving. He has been charged elsewhere.
The indictment says two men, Marves Fairley and Shane Hennen, recruited Blakeney during the 2022-23 CBA season. They offered bribe payments to get him to underperform and influence game outcomes. Blakeney allegedly agreed and recruited other players on his Chinese team to participate.
Of the 20 people charged, 15 are former Division I college basketball players who competed as recently as the 2024-25 season. The other five defendants are described as fixers. They include trainers, former coaches, former players, gamblers, influencers, and sports handicappers.
Prosecutors say the fixers recruited college players with bribes ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game. The charges filed in federal court in Philadelphia include wire fraud.
"When criminals pollute the purity of sports by manipulating competition, it doesn't just imperil the integrity of sports betting markets and imperils the integrity of sport itself," Metcalf said Thursday. "We allege an extensive international criminal conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni and professional bettors who fixed games across the country and poisoned the American spirit of competition for monetary gain."
The investigation follows a series of NCAA probes that led to at least 10 players receiving lifetime bans this year for gambling violations. The NCAA says at least 30 players have been investigated over gambling allegations. More than 30 people were charged last year in a federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to professional basketball.
NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the indictments Thursday. "Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA," Baker said in a statement. "We are thankful for law enforcement agencies working to detect and combat integrity issues and match manipulation in college sports. The pattern of college basketball game integrity conduct revealed by law enforcement today is not entirely new information to the NCAA. Through helpful collaboration and with industry regulators, we have finished or have open investigations into almost all of the teams in today's indictment."
All four Louisiana schools have Division I basketball programs:
- Tulane University plays its home games at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans. The Green Wave competes in the American Conference. Preseason voters picked them third in conference for the 2025-26 season.
- McNeese State University in Lake Charles had successful recent seasons, including NCAA Tournament appearances. The Cowboys play at Townsley Law Arena. They've won multiple conference championships in recent years under former head coach Will Wade, who now coaches at North Carolina State.
- Nicholls State University in Thibodaux competes in the 3,800-seat Stopher Gymnasium. The Colonels have won five regular-season conference championships and two tournament championships.
- Northwestern State University in Natchitoches also competes in the Southland Conference. The Demons play their home games at Prather Coliseum.
Federal prosecutors haven't released details about which specific games involving the Louisiana schools were affected. They also haven't said whether current or former players from these universities face charges.
The NCAA runs its own investigations alongside federal cases. The organization can impose sanctions on schools with compliance violations, even if those violations don't lead to federal criminal charges.
Louisiana basketball fans and the college sports community await more details from this investigation. This is one of the biggest alleged corruption schemes in college basketball in recent years.