NCAA to crack down???

[CHC04Vault]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2001958

Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- At least one team at half of the nation's Division I schools could be in danger of losing scholarships next year, according to a preliminary report released Monday by the NCAA.

About 410 of the NCAA's 5,720 Division I teams could fall below the 925-point cutline and face penalties because of poor academic performance. That number does not include teams that fall below the cutline but could avoid sanctions because of a small-squad adjustment.

Most of the scholarship losses, which are for one year, are expected to come in football, baseball and men's basketball. Those are the only sports with averages below the cutline. Baseball teams had an average score of 922, while football and men's basketball were at 923.

The men's indoor track team at Maryland-Baltimore County produced the lowest score in Division I with a 600.

The most prominent programs below 700 were the men's basketball teams at Fresno State and Baylor. Fresno State received a 611, while Baylor scored 647 -- a figure affected by the transfer of several players after the 2003 shooting death of Patrick Dennehy.

The new calculation gives athletes one point each semester for remaining eligible and another point each semester for staying in school. The points are then calculated for each team and are divided by the highest possible total. That percentage is assessed a point total, with 1,000 being the highest. Schools scoring below 925, or 92.5 percent, could face penalties.

The NCAA also will use a statistical adjustment, similar to the margin of error used in presidential polls, to prevent statistical anomalies for teams with few athletes.

Corrections to the scores are expected to be announced in April. The NCAA also will institute a yet-to-be determined waiver process to avoid penalties.

Schools are expected to be notified by December of the final results, which also include figures from the 2004-05 school year. Programs must take the penalties as early as possible and those that are far below the cutline now could take the scholarship loss next fall.


The 2003-04 data only gives schools an indication of how they are doing.

Under the new format, NCAA officials hope to improve both academic eligibility and retention of athletes. Stronger penalties, including postseason bans for consistently poor academic performance, are expected to be enforced by the fall of 2008.

[CHC04Vault]

I find it funny my home state is known for some of the worst track student/atheltes seeing i know many of them. I found it weird because usually trackand field athletes have the highest GPA and graduation rating of colligate sports.