NCAA Teams Face Scrutiny Over Graduation Rates

Teams in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament are being criticized for their graduation rates, with several teams falling short of the standard set by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The issue has sparked debate among coaches and conference officials, with some arguing that graduation rates should be used as a criterion for eligibility. Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and Kentucky coach John Calipari have spoken out on the issue, with Pearl expressing apology for his team's low graduation rate and Calipari highlighting his program's success in graduating players.

Key Takeaways:

Tennessee's graduation rate is 30%, lower than the standard set by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Coach Bruce Pearl apologized for the team's low graduation rate and called on Duncan to address the problem at the high school level.
Kentucky coach John Calipari pointed out that his program has a 31% graduation rate, citing success in graduating players at previous institutions.
The NCAA has stated that basing postseason bans on graduation rates penalizes the wrong students, and that the Academic Progress Rate (APR) is a better indicator of classroom success.
Several coaches and conference officials have spoken out on the issue, highlighting the complexities of drafting policy changes.

Statistics:

30%: The graduation rate of Tennessee's men's basketball team.
31%: The graduation rate of Kentucky's men's basketball team.
8-11 years: The timeframe used to measure graduation rates for student-athletes who entered as freshmen.
80%: The percentage of players graduated by Kentucky coach John Calipari's program at Massachusetts.
19 of 23: The number of players graduated by Calipari's program at Memphis.

Sources:

USA TODAY (cited as the original source of Duncan's comments)
Statement from the NCAA
Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports (cited as a source in Duncan's teleconference)
NAACP (cited as a source in Duncan's teleconference)