Harvard forward Kyle Casey, above, will withdraw and miss the season. (AP Photo)

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

An academic cheating scandal involving nearly half of the 279 students enrolled in a Harvard University government course is beginning to affect some of the university's athletic teams, according to reports.

Kyle Casey, the leading scorer for Harvard's men's basketball team, will withdraw from school and miss the entire season, sources told SI.com's Luke Winn. Fellow co-captain Brandyn Curry is also expected to withdraw, a source tells the Herald's Dan Duggan. Casey averaged a team-high 11.4 points per game last season to lead Harvard to a 26-5 record, its first-ever Ivy League title, and its first NCAA tournament berth since 1946. Curry led Harvard with 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game and was a member of the All-Ivy League second team. Withdrawing from school now may give the two players a chance to retain a final year of eligibility.

The football team could also be affected. The Harvard Crimson, citing anonymous players on the team, reports that disciplinary action could soon be taken against some players.

“Coaches are taking certain steps to prepare us for the worst,” one player told The Crimson.

The college announced on Aug. 30 that its investigative board was looking into the actions of approximately 125 undergraduates on an exam for the class "Government 1310: Introduction to Congress." In describing the alleged cheating, the board said the students "may have committed acts of academic dishonesty, ranging from inappropriate collaboration to outright plagiarism, on a take-home final exam."