Four of the top five scorers on the University of New Orleans’ men’s basketball team are being investigated by the school and NCAA for ties to sports betting, according to multiple reports.

Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 Media Network posted the story on ‘X’ Wednesday morning, citing confidential sources.

James White (19.2 ppg), Jah Short (9.2 ppg), Dae Dae Hunter (8.2 ppg) and Jaemond Vincent (7.8 ppg) have not played since New Orleans lost to 74-58 loss to Incarnate Word on Jan. 27. The players were banned for what the university has called “an internal investigation for team rule violations.”

In addition to being the team’s leading scorer, White is the team’s second-leading rebounder (7.0), while Shah is third on the team rebounding (4.5 rpg) and second in assists (3.3 apg).

Interim AD: ‘They broke a team rule’

Interim athletic director Vince Granito confirmed the suspensions Wednesday, but would not verify that the players were banned for sports gambling ties, as reported by Goodman, a long-time college basketball reporter who previously worked for ESPN, CBS Sports and FOX Sports (among others).

“Because they broke a team rule, we had to suspend them. They’ve been suspended for a month already. This is not ‘new’ news,” Granito said, at a press conference to introduce Percy “Master P” Miller as the school’s new president of basketball operations, according to New Orleans-based WVUE.

“They will be available again once the investigation is over, but at this point, it’s not. When you have a situation, you have to report it to the NCAA, and it’s up to them to move forward. … If (the players) are cleared, they can come back to the team.”

The Privateers have lost 11 straight games, including each of their past eight since the four players were suspended. UNO is 4-25 and 2-16 in Southland Conference play, tied for last in the conference with East Texas A&M.

“At this time I don’t have any more information I can give you on that,” Granito said at a press conference Wednesday.

More sports betting issues for college basketball

The news of the New Orleans basketball players’ potential role in a sports betting scandal is the second such headline-grabbing story this week.

Last weekend, reports surfaced that three Fresno State basketball players are also under investigation – two of them for allegedly wagering on games in which they played.

Meanwhile, ESPN previously reported that Eastern Michigan, Mississippi Valley State and North Carolina AT&T are also being investigated. The report says players on those teams have ties to the gambling ring that conspired with disgraced former NBA player Jontay Porter.

There is also an ongoing investigation into a former Temple basketball player who is accused of point shaving in a game against the University of Alabama-Birmingham last March.