INDIANAPOLIS (AP/KTHV) - Poor academic results will keep a record 10 men's basketball teams out of next year's NCAA tournament including the first BCS school to face the penalty - Connecticut.
The NCAA announced the penalties when it released its new Academic Progress Rate scores Wednesday. Teams scoring under 900 face the harshest sanctions.
The news about the three-time national champion Huskies is no surprise. The school knew last year it would be banned and later filed an appeal for an NCAA waiver but lost.
Joining UConn on the sideline in March will be Arkansas-Pine Bluff, California-Riverside, Cal State Bakersfield, Jacksonville State, Mississippi Valley State, North Carolina-Wilmington, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Toledo and Towson.
Hampton, North Carolina A&T and Texas Southern were the only schools to be banned in football.
In light of the release, the university sent their response to Today's THV:
UAPB chancellor Calvin Johnson says, "While it is unfortunate that our men's basketball team has received a post-season ban by the NCAA, this ban will allow the program, including the student-athletes and staff, to refocus their energies on excelling both in the classroom as well as on the court at a high level like they have traditionally done. Everyone associated with the university, from our administrators to the students, will play integral roles in helping the program meet, and even exceed, the high academic standards required by both this university and the NCAA. I have no doubt that this shall be accomplished."
Athletics director Lonza Hardy Jr., says, "As our student-athletes continue to graduate at a higher rate than their non-athlete counterparts, our men's basketball program has run into this setback in meeting the NCAA's new APR benchmark. Nonetheless, our student-athletes, coaches and staff members continue to be fully committed to keeping academics as our top priority. We are assessing our compliance and academic support areas and are already taking steps to strengthen those areas by launching new initiatives aimed at insuring the continued success of all of our student-athletes."
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