Former Wisconsin Badgers player involved in college basketball point-shaving scandal

The Badgers had a player suddenly dismissed from the program before the start of the 2025-26 season. Now, we know why.

Feb 9, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Temple Owls forward Elijah Gray (22) reacts after a three point basket against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

The Wisconsin Badgers dismissed Temple transfer Elijah Gray from the team just days away from the start of the 2025-26 season.

In a release, a UW spokesperson said the dismissal was "related to events preceding his enrollment at UW-Madison" and said that "privacy laws limit the university's ability to share more at this time."

But an indictment was unsealed Thursday morning that charged 17 players for point shaving in the NCAA and the Chinese Basketball Association. Gray wasn't charged in the indictment, but it revealed his involvement with the scheme.

20 men were charged in a point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 college basketball players on more than 17 NCAA Division I teams and leading to more than 29 games being fixed, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) January 15, 2026

Elijah Gray not indicted but involved in scheme

The indictment didn't list Gray as one of the players being charged, instead noting he had been charged elsewhere.

An article by ESPN's David Purdum, which covered an NCAA betting investigation, reported that Gray's dismissal was related to the investigation.

Still, the unsealed indictment offered further insight into Gray's offenses.

"Defendent (Jalen) Smith offered Gray a bribe payment of approximately $10,000 or $15,000 to underperform in an influence an upcoming Fordham basketball game. Gray agreed to participate in this point-shaving scheme," the indictment read.

The game in question was a February 23, 2024 game between Fordham and Duquesne. According to the indictment, Duquesne was favored to win by approximately 3.5 points. The alleged fixers placed bets on Duquesne that totaled roughly $195,000.

Fordham won the game by 12 points, but Gray underwhelmed. He played 15 minutes and scored three points (1-4 FG) with two rebounds and three turnovers.

Fordham was outscored by 12 points when Gray was on the floor.

After the game, Gray and Smith exchanged texts about the failure of the scheme. Per the indictment, Gray texted Smith, "I tried."

Smith told Gray "You did your job for sure."

Gray had been averaging 10 points per game before the contest in question.

Former Fordham F Elijah Gray named in NCAA gambling indictments:

Gray and an unknown teammate were bribed to underperform and ensure Fordham didn’t cover a +3.5 spread vs Duquesne —fixers put $195,000 on DUQ to beat Fordham.

Gray was dismissed from Wisconsin earlier this year. pic.twitter.com/EE99DddkeU

— Joe Henry (@joehenry_4) January 15, 2026

Wisconsin has been stuck with 14 players for the 2025-26 season due to Gray's dismissal. While they had looked into adding a 15th player to round out the roster, the Badgers' window to do so passed, meaning they'll remain one player down for the rest of the 2025 season.

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