Eighteen Division I teams will miss the postseason, and another 18 in men’s basketball and nine other college sports will trade practice time for remedial classroom sessions under NCAA academic progress reports released Tuesday.
Poor Academic Progress Rate scores mean postseason bans in the 2013-14 academic year for teams from 10 schools: Alabama State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida A&M, Florida International, Grambling State, Mississippi Valley State, New Orleans, Norfolk State, Savannah State and Southern. That compares to 15 teams ineligible for the 2012-13 postseason.
Five teams received Level 3 APR penalties, which can include financial aid reductions and multi-year postseason bans: the men’s basketball teams at Grambling, Mississippi Valley, New Orleans and Louisiana-Monroe and Chicago State’s women’s volleyball team.
Most of the penalized schools have significantly more limited resources than top NCAA programs, including 11 historically Black colleges and universities. Four of those banned are men’s basketball squads from the 10-team Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The overall four-year APR score across Division I was 974, a one-point increase from last year. Scores are calculated by individual D-I teams based on eligibility and graduation and retention rates. A minimum four-year average score of 900, or 930 over the most recent two years, is required for postseason participation. The minimum required APR scores will increase to 930 over four years or 940 over two years, starting with the 2014-15 postseason. The cutoff is equivalent to a 50 percent graduation rate.
“If you can’t graduate half your student-athletes, you shouldn’t be worried about playing in championships or tournaments,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert. “There’s more important things for you to be focused on.”
Under the APR standards, the NCAA defines “limited resource” schools as those ranking in the bottom 15 percent in athletics spending. Those schools only have to earn a four-year APR of 910 for the 2014-15 postseason.
