College Sports Capsules: Nebraska decision on Big Ten could come Friday
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska could be on its way to the Big Ten by Friday.
The university's Board of Regents on Wednesday evening amended the agenda for its previously scheduled Friday meeting to include a briefing from chancellor Harvey Perlman and athletic director Tom Osborne on conference alignment. The regents then could vote to leave the Big 12.
Osborne said a decision has not been finalized, and he declined comment when asked whether the Big Ten had formally invited Nebraska to join the league.
Shawn Watson, the offensive coordinator for Nebraska's football team, said Osborne hasn't given the athletic department staff an indication which way the school will go.
Watson said Osborne met with the staff last Friday to tell them about last week's Big 12 meetings and to "get a feel" for what the staff thinks about the Big 12 and Big Ten.
Since then, Watson said, Osborne hasn't updated the staff on developments.
The university issued a statement Wednesday night to counter media reports that regents met informally Wednesday and had already agreed to a move to the Big Ten.
Officials, however, do want a quick resolution on the future of the Huskers' athletic programs, whether that means staying with several longtime rivals in the Big 12 or leaving for the Big Ten.
"The conjecture and all the intensity surrounding it is not positive," Regent Jim McClurg said of the impending decision. "Everybody needs to know and has a right to know. The calamity and opportunity that's conjured up by not knowing sometimes exceeds reality, so I think it's important to get a decision done."
The Big 12 reportedly has given Nebraska and Missouri a Friday deadline to affirm their commitment to the league.
The Big Ten announced late last year it was considering adding at least one school, and possibly more, to allow for a lucrative league championship game in football and broaden the reach of its cable television network.
Based on 2009 figures, Nebraska would double the amount of money it receives from conference distributions in the Big Ten. Big Ten schools received about $20 million a year in revenue compared with the $10 million Nebraska took in from the Big 12.
If Nebraska abides by the Big 12's "good faith" provision in the league bylaws, the switch would take effect in 2012-13. An institution that withdrawals from the Big 12 loses 50 percent of the revenue it would have received from the Big 12 during those two years. A school could lose up to 90 percent of its allotment if it leaves sooner.
In a radio interview Tuesday, Osborne tried to quash speculation Nebraska would, in part, arrive at its decision based on its relationship with the University of Texas.
The Huskers and Longhorns have butted heads over many issues since the Dallas-headquartered Big 12 was formed, and there is a perception in Nebraska that Texas wields too much influence on league policies.
"We certainly don't have anything against anybody in the Big 12," Osborne said on the Husker Sports Network. "This decision is not going to be based on animosity or petty jealousy. I mean, you're talking about something that could maintain for the next 75 or 100 years. This is a big deal in terms of the University of Nebraska (and) this is a big deal in view of many other institutions."
Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer, a coaching rival of Osborne's in the 1970s and '80s and longtime friend, said hearing Nebraska and the Big Ten in the same sentence doesn't sound right.
Switzer told The Associated Press he doesn't envy Osborne having to play a major role in the possible destruction of the Big 12, which evolved from the old Big Eight and Southwest Conference.
"I'm sure it weighs heavily on Tom," Switzer said. "I hate to think we would lose what we have and what we built for so long. Finances are a factor, and sometimes you have to give up tradition for finances."
McClurg said the Big 12 has been a good fit for Nebraska but the Big Ten, if it extends an invitation, could be better. It would greatly expand the school's reach and could mean far more money for the school's athletic programs.
"We have to seriously evaluate any opportunity that comes our way," McClurg said, "because everybody else is doing that."
The university said Wednesday night that members of the regents' executive committee held a conference call to discuss the agenda for Friday's meeting.
"No action was taken during today's conference call," the statement said, "and none will be taken prior to Friday's meeting."
Missouri curators meet amid conference confusion
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — University of Missouri curators are opening two days of meetings in Columbia amid speculation about the school's interest in bolting the Big 12 for an expanded Big Ten Conference.
The 10-member Board of Curators planned to go into a closed session immediately upon convening Thursday morning, then hold a public session in the afternoon. A meeting agenda advises that curators and system President Gary Forsee won't publicly discuss conference realignment.
Published reports suggest the Big 12 has given Missouri and Nebraska a Friday deadline to affirm their commitment to the 14-year-old conference.
But that timetable doesn't mesh with the Big Ten's stated intent to wait until later this year or even 2011 before deciding whether to add more schools.
Football
Reports: NCAA hands USC 2-year bowl ban
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two media outlets are reporting the NCAA has decided to ban Southern California's football team from the postseason for two years and strip the program of scholarships.
The Los Angeles Times reported the NCAA sanctions include the loss of more than 20 scholarships. ESPN.com reported Wednesday night that the Trojans will forfeit wins "from at least the 2004 season."
USC is also expected to face probation and possible limits on football recruiting contacts after the NCAA's four-year investigation into the school.
The NCAA's report could be released Thursday, although school officials wouldn't confirm Wednesday they had received the NCAA's report or planned to address it when it was made public. The NCAA infractions committee held a hearing with USC officials last February, and its report has been expected weekly since April.
USC's penalties are expected to stem primarily from widespread allegations of improper benefits for Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Reggie Bush during his three seasons at the school. The NCAA, the Pac-10 and even the FBI conducted investigations into the Bush family's business relationships and USC's responsibility for the culture around its marquee football team.
The Trojans' football team won seven straight Pac-10 championships and two national titles during the past decade under Pete Carroll, who left to coach the NFL's Seattle Seahawks after last season.
No BCS conference football programs have been banned from postseason play over the past seven years, but the NCAA has been expected to make an example of USC, one of the highest-profile programs in the country.
USC's players are expected to be told about the sanctions at a meeting Thursday morning.
"For real it's out of our hands but I'm praying that the things they are saying aren't true," senior linebacker Malcolm Smith wrote on his Twitter account Wednesday night.
Last year, the NCAA reportedly bundled its Bush probe with its look into the men's basketball program. USC self-sanctioned the basketball program four months ago over its recruitment of former player O.J. Mayo by former coach Tim Floyd, who was accused of giving cash to a middleman who helped steer Mayo to USC. The Trojans banned themselves from postseason play last season, reduced their scholarships and limited their recruiting.
Suspended Oregon QB Masoli dropped from team
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Suspended Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was kicked off the team Wednesday, two days after a police officer cited him for marijuana possession and driving infractions.
In a statement, the university said Masoli was dropped because he did not "adhere to obligations" outlined by coach Chip Kelly. The coach, through a spokesman, declined to comment.
A Springfield police officer cited Masoli late Monday on charges of possessing less than one ounce of marijuana, driving with a suspended license and failure to stop when entering a roadway, said Sgt. Tom Borchers of the Springfield Police Department.
Masoli can either pay a fine or contest the accusations at a June 24 court appearance, Borchers said.
Kelly suspended Masoli in March for the entire 2010 season after the QB pleaded guilty to burglary for his role in the theft of laptops and a guitar from a fraternity. Masoli remained on scholarship and practiced with the team this spring in hopes of returning for the 2011 season.
Masoli has one season of eligibility remaining.
Masoli threw for 2,147 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He also rushed for 668 yards and 13 touchdowns in a season that ended with a Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State.
The San Francisco native finished his Oregon career with 1,386 rushing yards, the most ever by a Ducks quarterback.
Masoli played prep ball at Saint Louis School in Honolulu.
Michigan recruit Dorsey denied admission to school
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon says Florida prep football star Demar Dorsey has been informed he will not be admitted to the school.
Brandon told The Associated Press on Wednesday the decision was made by the university's office of undergraduate admissions.
The highly touted defensive back was one of the top players coach Rich Rodriguez signed in February. Michigan's secondary has struggled the past two years.
The 6-foot, 175-pound Dorsey was a star at Lauderdale Lakes High school.
Dorsey is a cousin of Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson. Michigan lured him away from his verbal commitment to the University of Florida. Southern California and Florida State also recruited him.
-- Larry Lage
BC-Notre Dame agree to 6 more football games
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame and Boston College are the only two Roman Catholic schools playing major college football, and they've agreed to play another six games over the next nine seasons.
The two schools have played 19 times since 1975 and all but two years since 1992. The Fighting Irish hold a 10-9 edge in victories after beating the Eagles 20-16 in October to end a six-game losing streak to BC.
The schools already were scheduled to play at Boston College on Oct. 2.
The new agreement calls for the Eagles to play at Notre Dame in 2011, 2016 and 2018 and for the Irish to play at Boston College in 2012, 2015 and 2019.
The agreement was first reported by the Boston Herald.
Mallett undergoes minor operation on foot
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett has had a screw replaced in his left foot.
Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino said Mallett underwent the operation Wednesday night, and that it wasn't unexpected. Mallett broke the foot in February and has been recovering ever since. He was extremely limited during spring practice, but he's still expected back in time for fall practice.
Mallett threw for 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns during the 2009 season, when the Razorbacks went 8-5.
EWU digging up grass on Saturday
CHENEY, Wash. (AP) — Eastern Washington will begin digging up its grass football field on Saturday as it prepares to lay distinctive red artificial turf for the upcoming season.
The "turfbreaking" ceremony on Saturday will include Tennessee Titans star Michael Roos, a former EWU player who donated $500,000 to the new field.
The red turf, which has already drawn nationwide attention, is to be ready in time for this football season.
Baseball
Super Regionals Preview Capsules
A look at the matchups for the eight best-of-three super regionals, which will be played this weekend (tournament appearances include this year, and coaches' records are at current school):
| ARKANSAS (43-19) at ARIZONA STATE (50-8) |
|---|
SITE: Packard Stadium; Tempe, Ariz.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Arkansas won Fayetteville Regional: beat Grambling State 19-7, beat Washington State 6-4, lost to Washington State 10-7, beat Washington State 7-2. Arizona State won Tempe Regional: beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 6-2, beat Hawaii 12-1, beat Hawaii 8-4.
COACHES: Arkansas, Dave Van Horn (319-177, eighth season). Arizona State, Tim Esmay (50-8, first season).
TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES (LAST): Arkansas, 23rd (2009). Arizona State, 34th (2009).
SUPER REGIONALS APPEARANCES (LAST): Arkansas, fourth (2009), 5-2 all-time. Arizona State, sixth (2009), 8-5.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Arkansas: RHP Mike Bolsinger (6-5, 4.77), 3B Zack Cox (.427, 9, 48), OF Brett Eibner (.337, 21, 69), OF Collin Kuhn (.348, 16, 52), LHP Drew Smyly (9-1, 2.56), 1B Andy Wilkins (.276, 15, 68),
Arizona State: RHP Seth Blair (12-0, 3.06), OF Kole Calhoun (.325, 16, 58), RHP Merrill Kelly (10-2, 3.52), 2B Zack MacPhee (.394, 9, 63), RHP Jordan Swagerty (1-0, 2.05, 14 saves), 1B Riccio Torrez (.404, 9, 51).
| TCU (49-11) at TEXAS (49-11) |
|---|
SITE: UFCU Disch-Falk Field; Austin, Texas.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: TCU won Fort Worth Regional: beat Lamar 16-3, beat Arizona 11-5, beat Baylor 9-0. Texas won Austin Regional: beat Rider 11-0, beat Louisiana-Lafayette 4-2, beat Rice 4-1.
COACHES: TCU, Jim Schlossnagle, (300-131 seventh season). Texas, Augie Garrido (616-280-2, 14th season).
TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES (LAST): TCU, ninth (2009). Texas, 54th (2009).
SUPER REGIONALS APPEARANCES (LAST): TCU, second (2009), 1-2. Texas, seventh (2009), 12-3.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: TCU: OF Jason Coats (.377, 13, 65), 1B Matt Curry (.352, 17, 59), C Bryan Holaday (.347, 12, 47), RHP Steven Maxwell (11-1, 2.51), LHP Matt Purke (13-0, 3.40), RHP Kyle Winkler (11-1, 3.05).
Texas: RHP Cole Green (11-1, 2.63), OF Kevin Keyes (.305, 14, 57), DH Russell Moldenhauer (.341, 9, 41), RHP Chance Ruffin (6-1, 0.73, 14 saves), C Cameron Rupp (.317, 10, 54), 1B Tant Shepherd (.333, 7, 34), RHP Brandon Workman (12-1, 3.43).
| MIAMI (43-18) at FLORIDA (45-15) |
|---|
SITE: McKethan Stadium; Gainesville, Fla.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Miami won Coral Gables Regional: beat Dartmouth 12-8, beat Texas A&M 14-1, lost to Texas A&M 11-7, beat Texas A&M 10-3. Florida won Gainesville Regional: beat Bethune-Cookman 7-3, beat Oregon State 10-2, beat Florida Atlantic 15-0.
COACHES: Miami, Jim Morris (776-296-3, 17th season). Florida, Kevin O'Sullivan (121-61, third season).
TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES (LAST): Miami, 39th (2009). Florida, 26th (2009).
SUPER REGIONALS APPEARANCES (LAST): Miami, 10th (2008), 14-8. Florida, fourth (2009), 2-4.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Miami: LHP Eric Erickson (4-1, 2.52), C Yasmani Grandal (.411, 14, 58), RHP David Gutierrez (5-2, 5.12, 5 saves), LHP Chris Hernandez (10-3, 2.77), 3B Harold Martinez (.298, 21, 69), OF Chris Pelaez (.314, 11, 53).
Florida: LHP Kevin Chapman (3-0, 1.28, 11 saves), OF Matt den Dekker (.361, 13, 48), 3B Austin Maddox (.339, 17, 68), LHP Alex Panteliodis (10-2, 3.39), RHP Hudson Randall (8-3, 2.97), 1B Preston Tucker (.345, 11, 46).
| SOUTH CAROLINA (46-15) at COASTAL CAROLINA (55-8) |
|---|
SITE: BB&T Coastal Field; Myrtle Beach, S.C.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: South Carolina won Columbia Regional: beat Bucknell 9-5, beat The Citadel 9-4, beat Virginia Tech 10-2. Coastal Carolina won Myrtle Beach Regional: beat Stony Brook 6-0, lost to College of Charleston 16-6, beat Stony Brook 25-7, beat College of Charleston 8-7, beat College of Charleston 11-10, 10 innings.
COACHES: South Carolina, Ray Tanner, (626-281, 14th season). Coastal Carolina, Gary Gilmore (609-301, 15th season).
TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES (LAST): South Carolina, 26th (2009). Coastal Carolina, 10th (2009).
SUPER REGIONALS APPEARANCES (LAST): South Carolina, eighth (2007), 10-9. Coastal Carolina, second (2008), 0-2.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: South Carolina: OF Jackie Bradley Jr. (.367, 11, 49), RHP Blake Cooper (11-1, 2.75), RHP Sam Dyson (5-5, 4.00), OF Whit Merrifield (.332, 12, 38), DH Brady Thomas (.322, 8, 28), 1B Christian Walker (.310, 6, 41).
Coastal Carolina: RHP Austin Fleet (6-1, 2.53, 8 saves), C Jose Iglesias (.344, 16, 78), 2B Tommy La Stella (.375, 14, 63), RHP Anthony Meo (13-2, 2.63), OF Rico Noel (.348, 11, 62, 56 SBs), LHP Cody Wheeler (12-0, 3.59).
| OKLAHOMA (47-15) at VIRGINIA (50-12) |
|---|
SITE: Davenport Field; Charlottesville, Va.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Oklahoma won Norman Regional: beat Oral Roberts 7-6, 10 innings, beat North Carolina 7-6, 10 innings, beat North Carolina 3-2. Virginia won Charlottesville Regional: beat Virginia Commonwealth 15-4, beat Mississippi 13-7, lost to St. John's 6-5, beat St. John's 5-3.
COACHES: Oklahoma, Sunny Golloway (217-113-1, sixth season). Virginia, Brian O'Connor (315-116-1, seventh season).
TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES (LAST): Oklahoma, 32nd (2009). Virginia, 10th (2009).
SUPER REGIONALS APPEARANCES (LAST): Oklahoma, second (2006), 1-2. Virginia, second (2009), 2-1.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Oklahoma: 2B Danny Black (.339, 5, 47), 3B Garrett Buechele (.387, 16, 62), RHP Zach Neal (8-3, 4.42), 1B Cameron Seitzer (.317, 14, 51), RHP Bobby Shore (9-4, 4.23), OF Max White (.307, 14, 40).
Virginia: RHP Kevin Arico (1-1, 2.59, 17 saves), SS Tyler Cannon (.341, 3, 38), OF Phil Gosselin (.378, 9, 57), LHP Danny Hultzen (10-1, 2.83), RHP Robert Morey (9-3, 3.72), OF Jarrett Parker (.338, 10, 55).
| CAL STATE FULLERTON (45-16) at UCLA (46-13) |
|---|
SITE: Jackie Robinson Stadium; Los Angeles.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Cal State Fullerton won Fullerton Regional: lost to Minnesota 3-1, beat Stanford 6-5, beat New Mexico 11-3, beat Minnesota 7-2, beat Minnesota 9-5. UCLA won Los Angeles Regional: beat Kent State 15-1, beat LSU 6-3, beat UC Irvine 6-2.
COACHES: Cal State Fullerton, Dave Serrano (133-54, third season). UCLA, John Savage (187-163, sixth season).
TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES (LAST): Cal State Fullerton, 32nd (2009). UCLA, 16th (2008).
SUPER REGIONALS APPEARANCES (LAST): Cal State Fullerton, 10th (2009), 15-6. UCLA, third (2007), 0-4.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Cal State Fullerton: OF Gary Brown (.438, 6, 41, 31 SBs), SS Christian Colon (.358, 16, 67), 2B Corey Jones (.378, 9, 54), OF-RHP Tyler Pill (.353, 7, 41; 4-4, 3.36), 1B-LHP Nick Ramirez (.360, 16, 73; 1-3. 3.29, 10 saves), RHP Noe Ramirez (11-1, 2.63), RHP Daniel Renken (12-2, 3.95).
UCLA: OF Beau Amaral (.353, 3, 25), RHP Trevor Bauer (10-3, 2.72), RHP Gerrit Cole (10-2, 3.11), DH Blair Dunlap (.330, 5, 23), RHP Dan Klein (5-0, 2,03, 9 saves), 2B Tyler Rahmatulla (.326, 6, 41), LHP Rob Rasmussen (10-2, 2.90).
| VANDERBILT (45-18) at FLORIDA STATE (45-17) |
|---|
SITE: Dick Howser Stadium; Tallahassee, Fla.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Vanderbilt won Louisville Regional: beat Illinois State 8-7, 13 innings, lost to Louisville 7-1, beat Illinois State 10-4, beat Louisville 7-0, beat Louisville 3-2, 10 innings. Florida State won Norwich Regional: beat Central Connecticut State 11-3, beat Oregon 6-4, beat Oregon 5-3.
COACHES: Vanderbilt, Tim Corbin (321-175, eighth season). Florida State, Mike Martin (1,624-555-4, 31st season).
TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES (LAST): Vanderbilt, ninth (2009). Florida State, 48th (2009).
SUPER REGIONALS APPEARANCES (LAST): Vanderbilt, second (2004), 0-2. Florida State, 10th (2009), 8-14.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Vanderbilt: RHP Jack Armstrong (7-3, 4.32), 3B Jason Esposito (.359, 10, 59), 2B Anthony Gomez (.377, 2, 28), RHP Sonny Gray (9-5, 3.51, 1 save), RHP Taylor Hill (6-5, 4.15), 1B Aaron Westlake (.308, 14, 58).
Florida State: LHP John Gast (7-3, 5.61), LHP Sean Gilmartin (8-7, 4.74), OF Tyler Holt (.349, 12, 42), 3B Sherman Johnson (.335, 8, 51), OF-RHP Mike McGee (.335, 14, 67; 4-0, 0.38, 11 saves), OF James Ramsey (.291, 9, 60).
| ALABAMA (41-23) at CLEMSON (41-22) |
|---|
SITE: Doug Kingsmore Stadium; Clemson, S.C.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Alabama won Atlanta Regional: beat Elon 11-2, lost to Georgia Tech 5-2, beat Mercer 5-3, beat Georgia Tech 8-1, beat Georgia Tech 10-8. Clemson won Auburn Regional: beat Southern Mississippi 10-1, beat Auburn 5-2, lost to Auburn 11-10, beat Auburn 13-7.
COACHES: Alabama, Mitch Gaspard (41-23, first season). Clemson, Jack Leggett (765-353-1, 17th season).
TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES (LAST): Alabama, 18th (2009). Clemson, 35th (2009).
SUPER REGIONALS APPEARANCES (LAST): Alabama, third (2006), 0-2. Clemson, ninth (2009), 8-11.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Alabama: OF Taylor Dugas (393, 2, 36), 1B Clay Jones (.329, 17, 65), RHP Nathan Kilcrease (8-2, 2.42, 4 saves), RHP Jimmy Nelson (8-3, 3.92), SS Josh Rutledge (.365, 10, 69), 3B Jake Smith (.261, 13, 55).
Clemson: 1B Mike Freeman (.330, 8, 55), LHP Casey Harman (7-2, 3.95), 3B John Hinson (.341, 15, 67, 22 SBs), SS Brad Miller (.365, 7, 41), OF Kyle Parker (.356, 20, 63), OF Jeff Schaus (.313, 15, 80), RHP Scott Weismann (7-2, 5.13).
-- Dennis Waszak Jr.
Basketball
Bartow recalls life as Wooden's successor
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Gene Bartow faced the kind of huge coaching challenge few ever experience: Replacing John Wooden at UCLA, and even briefly sharing an office with the storied coach.
Bartow only stuck around Los Angeles for 28 months and went to a Final Four before going to startup UAB for a hefty raise — and considerably less pressure and scrutiny.
"At UCLA, every time you lost it was a major catastrophe, so that was different than what I had at Memphis State or anywhere I'd been," Bartow, who lives in suburban Birmingham, said in a phone interview Wednesday.
One person who didn't make the job more difficult: Wooden.
Bartow said the larger-than-life figure was a humble, gracious presence who visited with recruits when asked and ate lunch with his successor once or twice a month. The two shared Wooden's spacious former office for a couple of weeks after Bartow's hiring in 1975.
They talked politics and the Los Angeles Dodgers over lunch more so than UCLA basketball, though.
"If I had those months to do over I'd probably seek his advice more often than I did, but he was there ready to give us his thoughts," Bartow said.
He was successful in his brief tenure at UCLA. Bartow's two teams were a combined 52-9 with a trip to the NCAA Final Four in 1976. But Wooden left huge shoes to fill (presumably along with instructions on how to put them on).
The Wizard of Westwood won 10 national championships — seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. The streak included a victory over Bartow's 1973 Memphis team in the title game.
Wooden died Friday at age 99.
Bartow lives in Alabama football coach Bear Bryant's backyard, but doesn't think Wooden's track record has been topped, regardless of the sport.
"I think he's No. 1 in any sport. Of course Coach Bryant had several national championships and Knute Rockne when he was at Notre Dame years ago had a lot of great, great teams," said Bartow, who also mentioned the Yankees' Casey Stengel and Celtics' Red Auerbach.
"I think you'd have to say 10 championships, 12 years would probably be the most unusual sports feat."
Bartow left to be head coach and athletic director for UAB's new program in the summer of 1977 "for quite a lot more" money than the $33,000 he recalls making at UCLA.
That position gave him a view of Ray Perkins succeeding Bryant at Alabama.
"They're different kinds of jobs when you go into those places like Alabama football or UCLA basketball," Bartow said.
Bartow went on to lead the Blazers to the NIT in their second year, followed by seven straight berths in the NCAA tournament, including a trip to the round of eight in 1982. His 647 wins over 34 seasons were even 27 more than Wooden logged, albeit in seven fewer seasons.
Bartow, president of the company that owns the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, turns 80 in August and has had his own health battles. Bartow started treatment for stomach cancer last spring.
"I'm a lot better than I was six or eight months ago," he said. "I'm a lot better but I've still got those tumors."
-- John Zenor
Notre Dame to play Kentucky at Freedom Hall
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Kentucky and Notre Dame will revive a tradition of playing at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., when they meet Dec. 8 as part of the SEC/Big East Invitational.
It will be the first time the Fighting Irish will play in the invitational, which is entering its fourth year. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said he's excited about playing in the event, especially at Freedom Hall.
"I know will be a great college basketball atmosphere," he said.
Notre Dame and Kentucky have played at Freedom Hall 32 times, including every season from 1962 to 1988, with the Wildcats holding a 23-9 series advantage in games played in Louisville.
Kentucky coach John Calipari has pledged the Wildcats will continue to play at least one game there each season, with the goal of playing high-profile opponents. Kentucky beat UNC-Asheville 94-57 at Freedom Hall last November.
Freedom Hall has long been the home of Big East member Louisville, but the Cardinals will move to a downtown arena this fall.
Kentucky leads the overall series 41-18. The two teams last met in the regular season in 2004 in South Bend. They played again in 2009 when the Irish ended a 10-game losing streak to Kentucky by beating the Wildcats in the third round of the NIT.
The game Dec. 8 will be part of a doubleheader, with the Notre Dame-Kentucky game scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. Seton Hall and Arkansas will play in the earlier game at 7 p.m.
On Dec. 11, Rutgers will play Auburn and Pittsburgh will face Tennessee at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Big East teams hold a 7-5 advantage against SEC teams in\ the first three years of the invitational.
UM hires LaVall Jordan as men's hoops assistant
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan men's basketball coach John Beilein says he's hired LaVall Jordan as an assistant coach.
Jordan spent the last three years as an assistant coach at Iowa. Before that, he was an assistant coach at his alma mater Butler in 2004-07. He was a starting guard at Butler in 1998-2001. Jordan is a native of Albion.
Arkansas-Seton Hall game on schedule
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas and Seton Hall will play each other in December as part of the SEC-Big East Invitational.
The teams will meet Dec. 8 in Louisville, Ky.
The Razorbacks and Pirates have never faced each other. Seton Hall went 19-13 last season, while Arkansas was 14-18.
Track & Field
Koll takes 10,000 meters
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Lisa Koll was nearly laughing for the last lap of her 10,000-meter victory at the NCAA outdoor track championships.
She had been stoic and focused for most of the race, but her coach implored her to relax as she closed in on the finish with a comfortable lead.
The Iowa State senior kept up her guard into the final lap, when her exasperated coach finally told her to look over her shoulder.
"That's when I saw my teammate was behind me," she said.
Koll had an almost impossibly broad smile after that, winning the women's title in 32 minutes, 49.35 seconds, followed by Iowa State sophomore Betsy Saina in 33:13.13. Oregon's Nicole Blood was third in 33:22.62.
"Looking back and knowing Iowa St. was going to go 1-2 was cool knowing that I was part of something that was bigger than me," Koll said.
The 10,000 meters was the highlight of a soggy opening day of the championships at Oregon's Hayward Field.
Florida's Christian Taylor won the triple jump at the NCAA track and field championships on Wednesday, recording the best mark by a collegian this year.
Wednesday's rainy weather cleared for Taylor's wind-aided leap of 56 feet, 1 inch. He surpassed his own outdoor best of the season (54 feet, 8.75 inches) reached at the SEC championships.
Taylor also won the triple jump at the NCAA indoor championships earlier this year.
"Indoor I felt like I found the feeling, found the secret," he said.
The top finishes by Koll and Saina put Iowa State in front of the women's team rankings with 18 points. Southern Illinois was second with 10 and Oklahoma was third with eight. Host Oregon had six points.
Defending champion Texas A&M led the men's team rankings with 14 points, followed by Florida with 13 and Arizona State with 12.
In addition to the erratic weather, the day was dominated by preliminary rounds and women's heptathlon events. There were just five finals.
Ryan Whiting of Arizona State won the men's discus with a throw of 193 feet and 9 inches, while Jeneva McCall of Southern Illinois won on the women's side with a 180-04. Amber Kaufman of Hawaii-Manoa won the women's high jump final with a leap of 6 feet, 1 1/4 inches.
In the men's 100-meter preliminaries, Rondel Sorillo of Kentucky topped his heat in a wind-aided 10.14 seconds. Florida running back Jeff Demps won his to follow in 10.15.
At the Florida Relays in April, Demps ran the 100 in 10.11 seconds.
"It was cool and wet, but it was cool and wet for everyone else too, so I can't complain," he said.
Demps, who has run for 1,368 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns over the past two seasons for the Gators, skipped spring practice to concentrate on track.
In the women's 100 meters, Jeneba Tarmoh finished in 11.05, followed by Texas A&M teammate Porscha Lucas in 11:07.
In the men's 800-meter heats, Virginia freshman Robby Andrews advanced to the final in 1 minute, 45.54 seconds, followed by Georgia's Aaron Evans in 1.46:55.
Oregon senior Andrew Wheating, who ran in the Beijing Olympics, had the third-best time of 1:48.80. He was also planning to run in the 1,500 meters.
"I am a Duck, hopefully I can learn to swim in it," he said of the steady rain that fell as he ran.
Tennessee's Pheobe Wright ran a field-best 2:02.98 in the women's 800 preliminaries.
After four events in the heptathlon, Chelsea Taylor of Alabama held the lead with 3,619 points, followed by Brianne Theisen of Oregon with 3,615 and Kiani Profit with 3,383.
-- Anne M. Peterson
Softball
Softball's dilemma: How many homers are too many?
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Drive after towering drive, the Women's College World Series put on a show like it never had done before.
Arizona's Stacie Chambers hit a mammoth shot that caromed off an elevated camera some 250 feet from home plate. Lini Koria powered one into the top row of the left-field bleachers. UCLA's sluggers put up even bigger numbers, with their own series of blasts that even the deeper and taller outfield walls had no hope of containing.
The sport where 1-0 games were once commonplace has turned into something closer to a home run derby, and it was never more evident than in Game 2 of the World Series finals.
UCLA beat Arizona in a 15-9 slugfest Tuesday night to claim its 11th NCAA softball title, with the teams combining for a record seven home runs — more than were hit in a weeklong span at 10 of the first 28 World Series.
Supplying the power for all those home runs are a line of composite-barreled bats, replacing the old aluminum ones, to create a new offensive era in the sport.
Now, college softball's rule-makers are trying to decide whether that era should continue.
"This is a big issue," South Florida coach Ken Eriksen, the chair of the NCAA's rules committee, said Wednesday. "I really think we're at a crossroads."
Rules committee members spent the day after the World Series ended going through statistics about the new bats that entered the game just a few years ago.
First and foremost, they're concerned with whether the new, stronger bats create a safety issue for pitchers who are only about 40 feet from the batter and corner infielders who aren't much farther back.
Beyond that, the committee members are involved in a debate over whether softball is supposed to be a low-scoring game or if that's just how it started out.
"There's some people that will go watch 10 games that are all 1-0 and think that that was great. And then there are just as many people who will say, 'I'm not going back,'" said Dee Abrahamson, the NCAA's secretary rules editor for softball.
"It's really hard to figure out the balance."
Back when the World Series first became an NCAA event in 1982, 10 of the 14 games were shutouts and six finished with a 1-0 score. Over time, the game has evolved with changes to the distance between home plate and the pitcher's mound, the design and color of the ball and the material from which bats are made.
This year, there were 9.4 runs scored per game with 35 home runs in 15 games — the second straight year a record was set.
"I don't know if you could say home runs sell tickets, but I would say it was pretty entertaining the past two nights," said Megan Langenfeld, who was the unanimous pick as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after she and UCLA teammate Andrea Harrison each hit a World Series-record four home runs.
The past four years have produced the most runs per game in Division I history, and there are about twice as many home runs as there were a decade ago.
At least at its premiere event, the following for the sport is growing. Each game is now televised on one of ESPN's networks, and records were broken this year for total attendance at the event and for an individual session — with 9,080 turning out for Saturday night's games.
"It just depends on what the game wants," said Arizona coach Mike Candrea, who also previously coached the U.S. to gold and silver medals in the Olympics. "I think the right people are on it right now and are trying to get a grip on the game.
"I love the home run. I just don't think that the home run should be hit by everyone in the lineup, and there's a lot of home runs being hit."
Hawaii, which made it to the World Series for the first time this season, blew away Arizona's year-old mark with 158 home runs. Eight Rainbow Wahine players reached double-digits in homers, led by 5-foot-3 freshman Kelly Majam with 30.
"A real comparative issue is baseball, because people follow baseball in America really, really well," Eriksen said. "In a 162-game season, a big home run year is between 45 and 50 home runs. ... You had a couple young ladies with 25 to 30 home runs this year. That would turn into an 80 to 90 or 95 home run season in baseball. So, is that what we want?"
College baseball decided to put a moratorium on the composite-barreled bats this season, and the softball committee is waiting for data to see what impact it had. The NCAA has also been compiling statistics from tests of the new bats in recent years, along with data on the number of injuries from batted balls.
Next year, the bat testing will transition from voluntary to mandatory at certain regular-season tournament and at all NCAA tournament sites, including the World Series.
There are other ideas on the table, too.
Ehren Earleywine, who coached Missouri to its first consecutive World Series appearances the past two years, suggested it might be easier to loosen up restrictions on pitchers than to require schools to spend money on new bats, balls or stadium changes.
"Until they get rid of the composite bats, you're going to keep seeing a lot of bombs. There's no doubt about it," Earleywine said. "But if you allow the pitchers to get some air under their feet and not worry so much about staying in lanes and stuff like that, I think it would even the score out a little bit."
-- Jeff Latzke
Soccer
Group raises concerns over Title IX, men's soccer
With the World Cup approaching, an organization that advocates Title IX reform released a report lamenting the lack of growth in men's soccer at top athletic programs.
Only 59 percent of Division I programs offer men's soccer, according to the College Sports Council's study. That's a far cry from the 93 percent that offer women's soccer — and the CSC says the disparity is because of Title IX and the way schools try to comply with it.
That conclusion was met with a stern rebuttal from both the NCAA and the Women's Sports Foundation, with the latter group saying the law tries to create equal opportunities for male and female athletes but does not force schools to forsake certain sports or offer others.
The CSC's report, released Thursday, points out that there were 197 men's soccer teams in Division I in 2008-09, the same number as in 1995-96. Over that same period, the number of women's teams increased from 189 to 310.
"Men's soccer has really been harmed," said Eric Pearson, chairman of the CSC. "Since 1996, the growth of the sport at the collegiate level has been held back."
Schools have three ways to comply with Title IX: Match the proportion of female athletes to the proportion of women on campus; show a history of increasing sports for women; or prove the school has met the interest and ability of women to participate in athletics.
Pearson contends that a 1996 declaration by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights encouraged schools to focus on proportionality.
"Our argument here is that it's the proportionality prong that has created a gender quota that is limiting the growth of soccer teams," Pearson said. "From '96 on, there was an increased emphasis of schools just focusing on proportionality and limiting men's teams."
Nancy Hogshead-Makar, the Women's Sports Foundation's incoming senior director of advocacy, insists the CSC's study is overly simplistic. She says although schools might use proportionality to comply with the law, they still have plenty of flexibility.
"The law doesn't care if an athlete is wearing a football uniform or a soccer uniform or a swimsuit or a fencing uniform. ... All they care about is: Are you providing boys and girls, men and women, with equal educational opportunities?" Hogshead-Makar said. "Individual schools make those choices. The law doesn't dictate what sports schools offer at all."
In other words, if men's soccer doesn't exist at a school, that might be because that school is offering another sport — such as football — with scholarship opportunities for men and not women. In the Southeastern Conference — where millions are spent every year on football — all 12 schools have women's soccer teams. On the men's side, the landscape is so empty that Kentucky and South Carolina play soccer in Conference USA.
Meanwhile, in Division III — where football is much less of a big business — 90 percent of the schools offered men's soccer teams in 2008-09, according to the CSC's study. That's up from 81 percent in '95-96. Among women's teams, the increase was from 78 percent to 95 percent.
Karen Morrison, the NCAA's director of gender initiatives, criticized the CSC's report.
"The CSC continues to bend the data like an errant soccer kick when describing trends in intercollegiate athletics and in particular college soccer," Morrison said in a statement. "Soccer continues to grow in popularity around the world and on our campuses. It is one of the four fastest-growing men's sports in the NCAA. There is no evidence that the relatively minor differences overall in soccer participation are related to Title IX."
-- Noah Trister
Academics
Two BCS schools could lose basketball scholarship
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA's big boys have figured out how to beat up the little guys in the classroom, too.
Spend more money.
The newest Academic Progress Rate, released Wednesday, showed seven of the 137 teams facing penalties come from BCS conferences and only two power conference schools — Colorado and Syracuse — were sanctioned in football, men's basketball or women's basketball. Both schools said they have already taken the scholarship losses and won't be affected next season.
And there's little doubt about the reasons for the disparity between big and small schools.
"It is clear resources make a difference and the schools that do have resources can make more timely adjustments," NCAA vice president Kevin Lennon said. "We clearly have examples of low-resource institutions that were very successful academically, it's not just money, but we're trying to help."
Assistance didn't come quickly enough for Portland State, which lost an appeal to avoid a postseason ban in men's basketball. Nine other schools, none from BCS conferences, all received waivers. A year ago, football teams at Jacksonville State and Tennessee-Chattanooga and the men's basketball team at Centenary were the first schools to be banned from postseason play because of sub-par academic scores.
The APR measures the classroom performance of every Division I team and this year's data was collected from 2005-06 through 2008-09.
Syracuse and Colorado defied the trend.
Colorado was penalized one scholarship in men's basketball and five in football, while Syracuse lost two in men's basketball for falling below the NCAA's 925 cutline. Officials at both schools said they took away the scholarships last season after academically ineligible players left school.
Syracuse was one of only four NCAA tournament teams from last season to get hit with a penalty. The others were Houston, Morgan State and UTEP. Orange coach Jim Boeheim, the reigning national coach of the year, had an explanation for his team's 912 score.
"We had three students leave school early to pursue professional basketball careers last spring and that is difficult to overcome," he said. "We anticipate being back above the APR standard when the next report is compiled."
The APR is billed as a real-time academic measure of every Division I team. Each athlete receives one point per semester for remaining academically eligible and another point each semester for remaining at that school or graduating.
A mathematical formula is then used to calculate a final team score with 1,000 points being perfect. Teams falling below 925 can face conditional scholarship losses. Teams consistently falling below 900 can be penalized more harshly.
So when Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, and Paul Harris all left for the NBA, Boeheim's team could have lost as much as six points.
Lennon and Walt Harrison, chairman of the Committee on Academic Performance, didn't buy it.
"I've learned a lot from Jim Boeheim. I understand his frustrations, but in the end, I'm not persuaded by his arguments," Harrison said.
Colorado was one of 10 schools to be sanctioned in both sports, though the other nine all compete in the Football Championship Subdivision. And four of those 10 are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
The Buffaloes scored 920 in football and 897 in men's basketball.
"Naturally, the APR score for football is of great concern to both our academic and athletic leadership," Colorado chancellor Phil DiStefano said in a statement. "It represents a challenge we are working to meet through our APR improvement plan, new academic support staff in athletics, and renewed focus in recruiting and engagement with our student-athletes."
The good news is that overall APR scores increased by three points, to 967, over last year. Scores in the three lowest scoring sports — baseball, football and men's basketball — also increased and the number of teams decreased for the second straight year.
Harrison said 27 percent fewer athletes are flunking out of school since 2004-05 and that more athletes are coming back to earn degrees.
But NCAA officials understand many schools do not have enough money to respond to problems like Colorado.
Two years ago, the governing body instituted grants to help supplement academic aid at low-income schools, but so far, the results haven't changed much.
— Only four BCS teams, other than those at Colorado and Syracuse, face penalties: men's outdoor track teams at Auburn and Cincinnati, the men's indoor track team at Auburn and the women's rowing team at West Virginia.
— Of the 20 schools facing reductions in scholarships or practice time or both, none are BCS schools and eight are HBCUs.
— Florida International and Southeastern Louisiana each had seven teams sanctioned, the most in Division I. McNeese State was next with six. Cal State-Fullerton, Chicago State, Delaware State, Howard and Nicholls State all had four teams on the list. Georgia Southern, Portland State, Southern University, Southern Utah, Tennessee-Chattanooga and Texas-San Antonio each had three.
— Tennessee-Chattanooga avoided a second straight postseason ban in football despite scoring 885 because the team showed "demonstrated improvement" over last year's score of 870.
"I am haunted by the challenges that low-resource institutions have in showing academic performance," Harrison said. "We are looking for ways that will help them, so we're doing everything we can, we believe, to help them. But it continues to be a nagging problem."
-- Michael Marot
CU takes scholarship hits with classroom results
The Colorado Buffaloes were penalized for poor performance in the classroom, losing five scholarships in football and another in men's hoops after falling short when the NCAA released its Academic Progress Report on Wednesday.
School officials said the penalties have already been served in previous recruiting classes. Colorado signed five less recruits in football last season, as well as one less in hoops.
Colorado was the only school from the six power conferences to be punished in both sports. The Buffaloes scored 920 in football and 897 in basketball, missing the cut line of 925 in a report that measures the classroom performance of every Division I team.
Colorado State has been sanctioned as well, losing one men's basketball scholarship for the 2010-11 season.
The APR is regarded as a way to gauge real-time academic progress of every Division I team. Each athlete receives one point per semester for remaining academically eligible and another point each semester for remaining at that school or graduating.
A mathematical formula is then used to calculate a final team score with 1,000 points being perfect. Penalties range from warning letters to a reduction in practice time and scholarship losses, based on data collected from 2005-06 through 2008-09.
Knowing what was awaiting, Colorado took a proactive stance in dealing with the penalties.
Now, the officials are taking it a step farther — drawing up an academic improvement plan for football, one that should be completed this summer.
"Naturally, the APR score for football is of great concern to both our academic and athletic leadership at CU-Boulder," chancellor Phil DiStefano said in a statement.
While the football team had an APR of 931 in 2008-09 — above the benchmark — the cumulative score over the four-year period was 920. During that time, the Buffaloes had 31 players who were academically ineligible and left before graduation. Of those, 18 did so after using up their eligibility.
That's counted against Colorado.
However, the football team has gone over a 2.5 grade point average five of the six semesters since it recorded a 2.104 in the fall of '06.
"What it means is that APR is a measure that's very important, but it doesn't paint the entire picture of the academic program," said David Clough, who serves as Colorado's faculty athletics representative. "We've studied reasons why the situation occurred and have tried to engineer a solution where we'll see steady improvement."
The announcement comes at an inopportune time for Colorado, especially with speculation swirling about the possible breakup of the Big 12. Rumors have circulated that the Pac-10 may have some interest in the Buffaloes.
The CU regents met Tuesday night behind closed doors to discuss the school's athletic membership, but a spokesman said there was no offer on the table for the school to join the Pac-10.
Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins has helped clean up a program marred by scandal under Gary Barnett, but he's been drawing heat after turning in his fourth straight losing season in 2009.
Some of the data used to compile the current APR occurred under Barnett's watch.
The same can be said of basketball. Ricardo Patton was in charge before Jeff Bzdelik took over in 2007. Bzdelik then bolted for Wake Forest in the offseason, the Buffs bringing on board Tad Boyle.
Colorado State received a penalty waiver last year, but didn't meet the conditions of the exemption. As a result, the men's basketball program surrendered one scholarship.
The Rams scored a 920 for 2008-09 in men's hoops, giving them an 859 for the cycle. Included in that, though, are scores of 800 in 2005-06, and 773 in 2006-07, when coach Tim Miles wasn't with the squad. In his first year with the Rams, they registered a 950.
Until those low scores rotate out of the equation, CSU is caught in a catch-22.
"Tim could bat 1,000 in '09-10, but that four-year score isn't going to get to a 925," said Christine Susemihl, senior associate athletic director at Colorado State. "I can't say we're innocent and victims. We're not. But with Tim coming in, it's changed. We're working proactively and doing a great job."
Meanwhile, Air Force had one of the highest APR scores among football teams in the country, finishing second to Rutgers.
"It's remarkable that a team can have its members take over 18 semester hours of the nation's most demanding curriculum, prepare to serve our country, and still balance participation as a Division I athlete in a major conference," Falcons coach Troy Calhoun said.
-- Pat Graham
Hogs get reprieve after basketball APR improves
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' men's basketball team isn't losing a scholarship because of its low academic progress rate, and athletic director Jeff Long says he's encouraged by the Razorbacks' significant improvement in the most recent calculation by the NCAA.
The college sports governing body released its newest figures Wednesday. This year's APR data was collected from 2005-06 through 2008-09. The Arkansas men's basketball team scored an 886; teams that fall below 925 can be subjected to immediate penalties.
However, the latest APR report said the Razorbacks avoided a scholarship loss because of "the team's demonstrated academic improvement and favorable comparison based on other academic or institutional factors."
For 2008-09, the Arkansas men's basketball team's APR was 933, compared to a 755 score in 2007-08.
"That is a strong sign that we are certainly moving in the right direction," Long said. "We've got work to do. There's no question about that."
Arkansas State's men's basketball team was docked a scholarship and hit with a practice time restriction. The Red Wolves' multiyear score was 882, and their 2008-09 mark was 804.
Arkansas-Little Rock's baseball team has been penalized a fraction of a scholarship.
Aside from the men's basketball team, the Razorbacks did not have a program with a multiyear rate below 925. The football team is at 930 after a 2008-09 score of 956.
The APR is billed as a real-time academic measure of every Division I team. Each athlete receives one point per semester for remaining academically eligible and another point each semester for remaining at that school or graduating.
A mathematical formula is then used to calculate a final team score, with 1,000 points being perfect. Teams falling below 925 can face conditional scholarship losses. Teams consistently falling below 900 can be penalized more harshly.
The multiyear rate is updated by adding the most recent academic year in the sample and dropping a year from the beginning. Arkansas' multiyear rate of 886 was the worst mark in the Southeastern Conference for men's basketball, so the Razorbacks are still very much in a danger zone for potential penalties.
Long said it could take two or three more years to improve the multiyear figure significantly.
"This is a journey. It's not a one-time score that's going to affect it," Long said. "As we move forward, we anticipate having higher scores coming on than we'll be rolling off."
The reprieve was welcome news for the Razorbacks, who are coming off back-to-back losing seasons on the court and were put on notice by the NCAA last year about their low APR.
"We still have work to do," coach John Pelphrey said in a statement. "Our focus will remain on fostering academic progress among our student-athletes and achieving sustained APR improvement that can be fully measured in the years to come."
-- Noah Trister
Ball State loses practice time over academics
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Ball State basketball program will lose two hours of practice time per week for long-term inability to reach the NCAA's academic guidelines.
Ball State's average Academic Progress Rate score of 863 for the 2005-06 through 2008-09 school years was the lowest of any major college basketball program in the state, well below the NCAA's threshold of 925.
Ball State's maximum activity time will drop from 20 hours per week to 18. The school said in a news release that it posted a 2008-09 score of 957, but it wasn't enough to prevent the penalty.
"From the 2005 to 2008 seasons our men's basketball program underwent some coaching changes and a number of student-athletes transferred for a variety of reasons, causing the team's APR to fall below the required 925 score," Ball State athletic director Tom Collins said. "Our current coaching staff has stabilized the program, which is evident by our 957 score for the 2008-09 academic year. We are excited about the direction our program is moving academically and look forward to our continued improvement."
Most of the state's football and men's and women's basketball programs performed well. Butler men's basketball scored a perfect 1,000. Of the 27 Indiana teams listed in those sports, all but six were above 925.
Indiana State football was the state's only other program in those sports to be penalized. The Sycamores had an APR of 922 and will lose a football scholarship for every player who leaves the school in bad academic standing next season, with a maximum of 3.87 lost.
The IUPUI men's basketball program received a warning letter for falling below 925.
The men's basketball programs at Indiana and Purdue also were below 925 but were spared penalties because of improved recent scores and successful execution of their academic improvement plans.
Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs, said Indiana offered a good example of how to improve your standing.
"As you see programs that may have dug themselves a hole and are trending based on their plan, they can get themselves over the benchmark," he said. "We saw a lot of positive things from the program and we think they will get over the line. If that doesn't happen, then they'll get a penalty."
The IUPUI men's basketball APR was 876, not promising for a program already on probation. Spokesman Richard Schneider said the school is concerned and is acting to prevent future problems.
"IUPUI has put in place measures to support student-athletes academically," Schneider said. "The measures include a review by a faculty committee of incoming students to ensure they are academically prepared to succeed at IUPUI; require student-athletes to attend study tables, receive tutoring and have access to academic advisers — even while traveling to away games, as needed, and that the grades of student athletes are reviewed weekly."
Purdue's basketball program had a score of 919, but it was not subject to penalty because it met the requirements of its academic improvement plan and did not have any student-athletes leave while not eligible in the past year.
Indiana University basketball had a score of 878 over the four-year cycle, but boasted a 2008-09 score of 975, an increase of 164 points over the 2007-08 rate.
This past year, the Indiana men's basketball team posted a 3.06 GPA in the fall and a 3.16 GPA during the spring.
"We have never paid lip service to academics, and moving forward as we build it back up, we never will," Indiana coach Tom Crean said in a statement. "It comes down to attitude, focus and consistency of effort, and I am proud of everyone associated with our program."
-- Cliff Brunt
Rutgers football earns NCAA top academic spot
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers is No. 1 in college football, at least academically.
According to the NCAA's latest figures for academic progress rate, the Scarlet Knights led all Football Bowl Subdivision members with a score of 992.
The score was the best ever posted by a football program in the football bowl subdivision, topping the previous record of 986 set by Stanford in 2008.
Air Force (988), Rice (987), Northwestern (986) and Duke (983) rounded out the top five in the NCAA report.
The four-year APR score covered the academic years of 2005-06 through 2008-09.
During that period, coach Greg Schiano led Rutgers to four straight postseason bowl games, winning the last three. Overall, he has led the Scarlet Knights to five straight bowl games, winning the last four.
"We are filled with pride to have a program that continues to develop young men to succeed in life after football, while building a tradition of bowl victories," Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti said. "Coach Schiano and his staff have recruited fine student-athletes to Rutgers that believe in our mission of earning degrees, becoming leaders, and winning championships."
Rutgers' football team has been ranked in the top three nationally in multiyear APR rates the past three years, the only public university to do so.
"We are very proud about this year's No. 1 ranking in the Academic Progress Rate for our football team, and we are even happier to be the only public university ranked in the top 10 percent nationally for three consecutive years," Rutgers president Richard L. McCormick said. "This consistency is clear evidence of the commitment of our student-athletes, their academic support, and our coaching staff to the long-term academic success of each member of the team."
The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.
WSU football up in latest NCAA academic report
Washington State's struggling football program has gained in one area: academics.
The Cougars avoided another reduction in football scholarships when the NCAA's report on academic progress released Wednesday showed they had demonstrated improvement over previous years.
"We are recruiting athletes who are students and athletes, that's what is being reflected here," said Ken Casavant, WSU's faculty representative for athletics.
WSU football had an academic progress rate of 953 for the 2008-09 academic year, the first for new coach Paul Wulff. That was sixth-best in the Pac-10 for that year.
Washington's was 934 for 2008-09. That was 9th in the Pac-10, ahead of Arizona State.
The Huskies' four-year APR average for football of 948 was fifth in the conference, behind Stanford, California, USC and UCLA.
Eastern Washington football's academic progress rate for the last academic year was 929.
The NCAA's threshold score is 925 (out of 1,000). The NCAA equates a 925 score to a graduation rate of roughly 50 percent.
The men's basketball teams at Gonzaga, Washington and Washington State were among the state's teams that earned perfect scores for the 2008-09 academic year.
WSU football had lost eight scholarships because of its low academic progress rate from the NCAA's report in 2008. Casavant said those eight lost scholarships have been restored.
The academic performance of the football team during three semesters under Wulff has shown a big improvement over the performance under Bill Doba, Casavant said. In the case of football, it was a 2006-07 single-year score of 874 that got the Cougars in trouble under Doba.
Their four-year APR of 918 for football was last in the Pac-10.
Three other sports on the Pullman campus — golf and women's soccer and tennis — recorded perfect scores.
Nine of Washington's 21 programs recorded a perfect score for the latest academic year, and all remained above the NCAA's minimum standard.
Washington's men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, women's golf, softball and gymnastics teams all scored 1,000 in '08-09.
The UW said its men's basketball team's four-year APR average of 990 is tied for 10th best in the nation in that span.
Butler, last season's NCAA runner-up, was the only men's basketball program to have a 1,000 APR for the four-year span ending in 2009.
"I am very proud of our student-athletes who continue to focus on their studies as well as their athletic endeavors, and I want to recognize the efforts of our coaching staff and our academic support staff who make academic success a priority," Huskies athletic director Scott Woodward said.
Gonzaga had seven teams with a perfect APR last academic year: men's and women's basketball, men's soccer and tennis, women's golf, women's soccer and volleyball.
|
62.0°F
|
|
|
Overcast - Winds Northeast at 3.5 MPH (3 KT) Last Update: 2012-02-09 17:20:29 |
||
Copyright © 2008.
The contents of this website may not be reproduced without written
permission from The Brownsville Herald. All rights reserved.
Contact Us | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Brownsville Directory | Cars & Autos | Real Estate | Jobs | Classifieds | Site Map
