Alternate headline "It's June and I have nothing to write about"
The NCAA released its annual report on the Academic Progress Rate for all schools on Wednesday. UNC fared pretty well across the board except in the two sports which everyone wants to talk about. Full list via UNC Now.
And, finally, a look at UNC’s teams, and how they fared both in 2010-11 APR and the multi-year APR …
UNC men's teams (sport, 2010-11 APR, multi-year APR):
Cross country, 1000, 990
Swimming, 1000, 997
Wrestling, 1000, 965
Indoor track, 978, 985
Outdoor track, 978, 985
Soccer, 973, 966
Tennis, 969, 972
Lacrosse, 967, 976
Golf, 919, 970
Baseball, 912, 969
Basketball, 909, 963
Football, 895, 943UNC women's teams (sport, 2010-11 APR, multi-year APR):
Cross country, 1000, 1000
Golf, 1000, 1000
Gymnastics, 1000, 1000
Rowing, 1000, 990
Tennis, 1000, 985
Lacrosse, 992, 993
Softball, 986, 972
Field hockey, 981, 991
Swimming, 980, 995
Soccer, 973, 959
Basketball 961, 951Note: Some teams not included because NCAA didn't release data.
Obviously the basketball and football numbers will garner some attention. The basketball team came into this release of the APR having been recognized for six straight years as having an excellent rating. That all changed this year with a 909 for 2010-11 which cratered the four year average at 961. The primary reasons? Will Graves and Some Other Kid as UNC AD Bubba Cunningham noted in his statement(emphasis mine)
"The APR for several men's sports was lower in 2010-11 and those are areas where we will focus our efforts in the future. The NCAA had honored men's basketball in the six previous seasons for having one of the top APRs in the country, but the number for 2010-11 was lower because one player was dismissed from the team right before the season started and another left the squad in the middle of conference play; baseball's number, which was 977 or better in each previous season, was a result of several transfers; golf, like basketball, is a small-squad sport with just 10 players and had a couple of issues that negatively impacted its single-year APR compared to its four-year average of 970. As we see with basketball andgolf, it only takes one or two situations within a squad to affect the team's overall APR.
It is unclear to what extent the Wear Twins and Ed Davis leaving for the NBA may have also impacted this number. The Wears were in good academic standing when they left since it came after the academic year ended. Davis' standing is not known. Even if the Wears were in good standing when they left, UNC still takes a hit on some level. The result is a big slip in one season which UNC will be forced to absorb for three more years.
On the football side, things speak for themselves. The NCAA issues certainly impacted several players as well as ones leaving for the NFL or simply leaving school. The 2010-11 number for football was a dismal 895 however the rolling average is still 943 which is clear of the 925 score which earns a team a nice vacation from postseason play. Now that a new coaching staff is in place and a renewed focus on academics stemming from the NCAA and AFAM scandals, hopefully UNC can post a better number next year to offset the 895 from this one.
As a side note, NC State football is tied for last in the ACC with an APR average of 931 up from 929 last year. In the spirit of Dan Kane, I am not saying, I'm just saying.