Virginia Tech men’s basketball guard Hysier Miller, a transfer from Temple, has been dismissed from the program amidst an ongoing investigation into gambling activity involving his former team, sources told Sports Illustrated. Miller, who was Temple’s leading scorer during the 2023 season before transferring to Virginia Tech this past spring, now finds himself caught in the center of a probe concerning unusual betting patterns on Temple basketball games.
The investigation, which began earlier this year, has drawn the attention of the NCAA and possibly other regulatory bodies.
The scrutiny began following Temple’s March 7 matchup against the UAB Blazers, when a gambling watchdog group, U.S. Integrity, flagged irregular betting activity surrounding the game. What raised eyebrows was a significant fluctuation in the point spread. Early in the day, UAB was favored by 1.5 points, but by mid-afternoon, that spread had ballooned to eight points, eventually settling at seven before the game tipped off. UAB ultimately crushed Temple, 100–72, in the Owls’ home arena, the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.
In that game, Miller struggled, scoring only eight points—half of his season average—and committing three turnovers. This poor performance contributed to Temple’s second consecutive loss, a stretch in which the team also failed to cover the point spread. Just days earlier, Temple, a 5.5-point favorite, had lost at home to Tulsa, 72–67. That game saw Temple fall behind 16–2 early, a deficit they couldn’t overcome.
The UAB game raised enough red flags that U.S. Integrity, which monitors gambling patterns for the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and other NCAA conferences, reportedly began tracking Temple games more closely.
The AAC is one of many collegiate conferences that partner with U.S. Integrity to keep tabs on sports betting activity, especially as legalized sports wagering becomes more widespread. With the increase in legal sports betting, the risk of impermissible activities impacting college games has grown, making monitoring systems like U.S. Integrity crucial in identifying potential violations.
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Despite Temple’s disappointing 12–19 regular-season record, Miller and his team made an unexpected surge in the AAC tournament, winning four straight games and reaching the championship, where they again faced UAB. Miller averaged an impressive 27.8 points per game during that run, showcasing his talent and leadership on the court.
Following the season, Miller entered the transfer portal, ultimately choosing Virginia Tech over other schools like Virginia, Providence, and Seton Hall.
It’s unclear what vetting Virginia Tech did concerning Miller’s time at Temple, but sources indicate that new information related to the gambling investigation came to light earlier this month, prompting his dismissal from the program.
Virginia Tech’s assistant coach Kevin Giltner posted a social media update on the Hokies’ guard situation last Friday, notably excluding Miller, who was expected to be an immediate contributor to the team. This omission fueled speculation about Miller’s future with the team, and Wednesday’s confirmation of his dismissal sheds further light on the situation.
Miller has not yet responded to requests for comment, and the full extent of his involvement in the gambling probe remains uncertain.
For now, it appears that Virginia Tech is distancing itself from the issue as the investigation continues.
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