While reading the words "Academic Progress Rate" might induce sleep, the NCAA's metric for measuring retention and eligibility success can actually tell you a few valuable things about what's going on in a program.
With basketball, which recorded a four-year score just above the national average in rankings released today, this much has now been revealed:
-- The ranking considers results from the 2005-06 through 2008-09 seasons, a period of immense instability that had the potential to lower the score much further. UA had nine players transfer or leave early during that time. That suggests UA has strong support systems in place and that most players left academically eligible, costing only a point each for their transfers (players who leave early but sign pro contracts don't cost any points if they leave when eligible).
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-- According to CATS academic director Mike Meade, UA basketball recorded a perfect 1000 score in 2007-08, when Kevin O'Neill was interim head coach. That suggests that O'Neill may have kept his players interested in sticking around and remaining eligible despite a chaotic season. While Laval Lucas-Perry left in December 2007, he did not cost UA a point because he left with greater than a 2.6 GPA and successfully appealed to get the year of eligibility back (normally, players have to stay at least a year and get a 2.6 to avoid costing their teams an APR point.)
- The perfect score in 2007-08 also implies that Jerryd Bayless left with his eligibility intact, finishing up spring 2008 classes when he had little incentive to do so (not only was he an NBA lottery lock but he was also far away from ever graduating as a freshman). That might say something about Bayless' character.
-- Turns out, Jim Livengood wasn't just being spiteful when he refused to release Jeff Withey from his scholarship during Withey's first semester in fall 2008, just after Lute Olson retired.
UA senior associate AD Rocky LaRose said UA has refused to release players who are not academically eligible because of the severely negative APR effects, and while she could not comment on Withey, Livengood later released Withey at the end of the semester -- suggesting Withey had at least gotten his grades together by then. Withey would have cost UA two points if he left ineligible but only one point if he was eligible.
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Portland State, Colorado and Syracuse are all getting hit with basketball penalities for their APR scores. Portland State was removed from the NCAA tournament next season, a penalty so severe that you have to have "historical" APR issues that include being less than 900 for multiple years. You have to be at 925 to avoid possible scholarship loss and UA's basketball team is at 944.
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Today's expansion updates:
-- The Omaha World-Herald quotes an unnamed Big 12 official saying Nebraska is expected to join the Big Ten as early as Friday. If true, that could set into motion the Pac-10's potential expansion grab of six other Big 12 teams; it's been clear from the beginning that Nebraska held the key to this whole thing.
-- An LA Times blog says the Pac-10 is after Colorado in any scenario, along with five other Big 12 schools if Nebraska breaks up the league, and with just Utah if Nebraska stays put.
-- The Orangebloods.com reporter who broke the Pac-10 expansion story, Chip Brown, quotes Big 12 sources saying the league is all but dead if Nebraska leaves.
-- Potential orphan Bill Self says all the talk is driving him nuts.
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The Daily News' Jon Gold and Scout.com's Evan Daniels chat about UCLA's recruiting.
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Mike DeCourcy says Tom Izzo might want to consider looking at Mike Montgomery.
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Josh Selby broke his hand.
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Catburger asked about the length of Sean Miller's contract. While it is technically only for five years, because that's the maximum allowed by the regents, he has a handshake agreement to get two years added after next season -- effectively giving him a seven-year deal. I believe Miller wanted seven years because he knew it might take several years of rebuilding.
