NCAA says U academics improved

Gophers athletics received mostly positive news Tuesday when the NCAA revealed its latest Academic Progress Report figures spanning 2003-04 through 2006-07.

No Gophers teams will lose scholarships, although men's basketball scored 910, falling below the NCAA-mandated minimum score of 925. But no men's basketball player leaving the program was academically ineligible at the time of his departure -- the criteria that results in penalties for programs that score below 925.

Overall, 19 of Minnesota's 25 athletic programs scored above the Division I average for men's and women's sports. A total of 16 Gophers programs improved their scores over last year, with men's basketball making the largest jump -- a 23-point gain. Football improved eight points to 927, putting it two points above the NCAA minimum standard.

"Well, obviously, we're excited about the improvements," Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said. "I think the [academic] task force gave us some good ideas of what to do ... we've made the right decisions up until this point."

The APR, in its fourth year, measures eligibility, retention and graduation of athletes within each program. A 925 score is roughly comparable to a graduation rate of 60 percent.

Overall, 218 teams at 123 Division I schools were penalized. More than 700 teams failed to meet the minimum standard of 925.

Beginning next year, teams that have accrued three consecutive years of APR scores below 900 will face penalties that could result in reductions in scholarships, reduced practice times and postseason bans.

Purdue lost a scholarship in men's basketball after scoring 894. Ohio State men's basketball scored 909 but avoided penalties when the NCAA granted the school a waiver because it submitted an improvement plan.

Both Gophers men's basketball (887) and football (919) were below the minimum requirement last year, but they avoided penalties because of the NCAA's so-called "confidence boundaries'' that were based on the APR being only three years old. The APR is intended to be a four-year snapshot, and this was the first year without confidence boundaries.

The APR for all Division I athletes rose to 961, with females continuing to outperform males in the classroom. Female athletes nationally had an average APR of 969 compared to 951 for men.

Women's basketball (950) was the only Minnesota women's sport that scored below the overall APR for women's athletics (969). Five teams scored below the overall average for men's teams (951) -- baseball, basketball, football, hockey and wrestling.

In the Big Ten, Gophers men's basketball ranked eighth and football was ninth.

NCAA President Myles Brand said in a teleconference that this year's APR scores were better than expected, although men's basketball remains a top concern. A fall committee will make recommendations for improving the APR for Division I men's basketball teams, Brand said.