The latest gambling scandal in college basketball involves a game played between Kent State and Buffalo on Feb. 27, 2024. It really could not be more obvious in hindsight.
Just watch the video!
Three different sports gamblers placed large financial wagers on this specific college basketball game. They allegedly worked with a player on the team to rig the outcome of the first half.
College basketball has a gambling problem.
Federal prosecutors charged 29 people in connection to a point-shaving scheme on Thursday morning. The indictment states that more than 39 different college basketball players on at least 17 different Division-I college basketball teams “fixed and attempted to fix” at least 30 different college basketball games.
Kennesaw State guard Simeon Cottle, Delaware State guard Camian Shell, Eastern Michigan guard Carlos Hart and Texas Southern forward Oumar Koureissi are the only players who remain active this season. 17 former college basketball players are listed as defendants in the indictment, with 15 of those former players from the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons.
The list of schools include: Abilene Christian, Alabama State, Buffalo, Butler, Coppin State, DePaul, East Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Fordham, Georgetown Kennesaw State, La Salle, McNeese State, New Orleans, Nicholls, North Carolina A&T, Northwestern State, Ohio, Robert Morris, Saint Louis, St. John’s, Southern Miss Tulane, Western Michigan. It is unclear as to who knew what and where.
Two of the primary targets of the investigation are not athletes. Shane Hennen and Marves Fairly allegedly built an elaborate plan to fix games. They were charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bribery in sports. It started in China in 2022 and later moved to the United States.
Kent State -8.5 1st Half vs. Buffalo?
No matter how hard you try, there is no way to guarantee the outcome of a college basketball game.
Some of these “fixed” bets went according to plan. Others resulted in losses.
A game played between Kent State and Buffalo on Feb. 27, 2024 was the former. The Golden Flashes were favored by 8.5 points in the first half.
They ultimately won the first half by 12 points, 39-27, but not without some help!
According to the federal indictment, Jalen Smith Marvis Fairly and Roderick Winkler placed bets on Kent State to cover the spread in the first half. Their bets totaled $424,000. Shawn Fulcher, who played on Buffalo, was allegedly in on the action. He supposedly agreed to make sure the Bulls did not cover.
Former Buffalo player Isaiah Adams was also charged elsewhere in the indictment. He and Fulcher scored a total of one point during the last 13 minutes of the half in that game on Feb. 27, 2024. Kent State went on a 12-0 run to cover. It (now in hindsight) was extremely obvious what was happening.
— fieldof72 (@Field_of_72) January 15, 2026
The Bulls passed up multiple open layups. They missed a lot of shots and dunks. They turned the ball over. It was as sloppy as it gets.
The legal process with this gambling scandal is going to play out over the next weeks, months and years. I find it hard to believe this specific game between Kent State and Buffalo — between the on-court play and massive bets placed on the first-half spread — is not definitive evidence of wrongdoing.