The NCAA is investigating whether a member of the 2013-14 University of Hawaii men’s basketball team received an iPad and other benefits in violation of its rules, according to people who have been interviewed by investigators.

The iPad issue is apparently one of the biggest questions remaining in the NCAA’s four-month probe of the program.

UH has declined to comment on specifics of the NCAA inquiry. More than 20 people have been interviewed, some on multiple occasions, and say they have been cautioned by the school and NCAA not to discuss the case.

NCAA rules prohibit players from receiving what are termed "extra benefits," which are defined by the NCAA as "any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution’s athletic interests (including fans) to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by the NCAA legislation."

In UH’s case the athletic department has reportedly been asked to furnish a receipt to substantiate who purchased the iPad amid what is reported to have been conflicting statements from some individuals.

A player judged to have received impermissible benefits may be suspended and required to pay the value of the benefits to charity. On the NCAA scale, benefits ranging from $100 to $400 carry a penalty of being withheld from 10 percent of the team’s games, while a benefit of $400-$700 means being withheld from 20 percent, and $700 and above carries a 30 percent penalty.

For example, when two Kansas State basketball players were found to have received discounted clothing from a merchant, one was suspended for three games and another for six due to the value assessed on the goods.

Apart from penalizing a player who is determined to have received extra benefits, the issue could be combined with others to establish a case against the institution for what the NCAA terms a "lack of institutional control," one of the most serious allegations.

The NCAA is said to be looking into several aspects of the men’s basketball program, including altering a certified document, practice time and impermissible benefits.

Meanwhile, UH said it has hired a prominent Alabama law firm — Lightfoot, Franklin & White — to assist the school with an anticipated letter of allegations from the NCAA.