A suspected gambling ring under federal investigation for its role in two NBA betting cases was also involved in unusual wagering activity on at least three men’s college basketball programs this season, reported by ESPN on Monday.

Sportsbook accounts connected to the gambling ring placed bets against Eastern Michigan, Mississippi Valley State, and North Carolina A&T, citing anonymous sources.

Three North Carolina A&T players were suspended indefinitely last week for “violating team rules,” but it remains unclear if this action relates to the gambling allegations, according to men’s basketball coach Monté Ross.

ESPN noted that some sportsbook accounts also made substantial wagers on prop bets concerning former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter during two games in the 2023-24 NBA season, as well as on Terry Rozier of the Charlotte Hornets in 2023.

Porter admitted to manipulating his performance in games for gambling purposes and has since been banned from the NBA. Rozier has refrained from commenting on an investigation into unusual betting surrounding his performance in a particular game.

The accounts linked to the gambling ring also wagered on a Temple game identified for suspicious betting last March.

The NCAA commented, “The NCAA takes sports betting very seriously and is committed to protecting student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition. The Association collaborates with integrity monitoring services, state regulators, and other stakeholders to conduct proper due diligence whenever suspicious reports are received. Due to confidentiality regulations placed by NCAA member institutions, we will not comment on current or potential investigations.”

In light of the growth of legal sports betting, concerns rise regarding increased pressure on athletes and possible misconduct. Recently, about two dozen athletes from Iowa State and Iowa faced criminal charges following a state investigation into illegal sports betting; some of these charges were dropped after investigators misused tracking technology that detected mobile betting applications at Iowa State athletic facilities.

In 2023, Alabama also fired its baseball coach after an investigation into suspicious betting tied to a Crimson Tide game against LSU.