How NCAA gambling scandals and gambling culture have impacted Utah State | Sports
Almost exactly a year ago in January 2025, Utah State’s athletics department received a phone call. No one answered and it was probably for the best. The caller left an angry voicemail, expressing intense emotion tied to the fact that Utah State’s men’s basketball team had just lost to UNLV. The Aggies had started the season 16-1 before playing the Rebels and were ranked 22nd in the AP Top 25 poll. Perhaps most importantly, or at least probably very important to the man on the other end of the phone, Utah State was a -5.5 favorite to beat UNLV. More than one person probably saw a 16-1 USU team up against a 9-7 UNLV squad (that was also on a two-game losing streak) and thought taking the Aggies at -5.5 was free money. But it wasn’t. Utah State lost 65-62, and at least one person, whom USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun strongly suspected was an upset gambler, wanted to take it out their frustration on the Aggies by hurling verbal abuse over a phone line. Such abuse can come over the phone but are also incredibly common on social media thanks to the ability ability for direct messages to be
