Academic Woes Could Cause UConn Men's Basketball to Miss NCAA Tournament

Academic Woes Could Cause UConn Men's Basketball to Miss NCAA Tournament
John Nestor

Hartford, CT

Connecticut's men's basketball team will have a chance to defend its national title on the court in the "regular" season but its performance in the classroom might take it out of the 2013 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

The NCAA adopted rules changes that would keep the Huksies out of the tournament in 2013.

The rules adopted by the NCAA's Division I Board of Directors state that a school cannot participate in the 2013 tournament unless it has a two-year average score of 930 or a four-year average of 900 on the NCAA's annual Academic Progress Rate.

The APR measures the academic performance of student athletes.

Connecticut's men's basketball scored 826 for the 2009-10 school year. UConn expects the score for the 2010-11 school year will be 975 but that number will not be released until May.

UConn president Dr. Susan Herbst, in a statement released late Thursday, reiterated her support for stronger academic requirements, but called on the NCAA to use the most recent APR scores in applying punishment.

"Students who have enjoyed academic success should not suffer because of the shortcomings of individuals who played in prior seasons," Herbst said. "It is my understanding the NCAA has already begun examining the fairest method for implementing the new rules and I encourage them to make the time frame between a violation and a punishment as short as possible."

The Committee on Academic Progress has asked NCAA staffers to work with individual schools to determine the possibility of having the information processed more quickly.

One plan is to have the APR scores announced twice a year, once in January, which would affect winter and spring sports, and once after the College World Series in June for fall sports.

The APR news is the latest in a series of unflattering incidents for the Huskies, who lost two scholarships this season as a result of the latest APR report.

Coach Jim Calhoun will miss the first three Big East games of the season, serving an NCAA suspension for recruiting violations committed under his watch.