The NCAA delivered another blow to UConn’s chances at postseason play for the men's basketball team to play in the postseason next year.
UConn was declared ineligible to play in the postseason because of a low academic-rating and the NCAA has denied the school's second appeal, athletic department officials said in a release on Thursday.
The decision comes soon after Alex Oriakhi, one of the team's highest-profile players was released from his scholarship and is looking for a new school to play at.
The UConn men won the national title in 2011, played in the post-season in 2012 and 's team's last chance at postseason in 2013 would be for the NCAA to change the criteria and base the team's APR average on more recent players. That decision is expected to come in July.
"I want to be clear that everyone at UConn is and will always be committed to academic excellence for all of our student-athletes and in particular our men's basketball players," UConn Director of Athletics Warde Manuel, a past member of the NCAA's Academic Cabinet and Academic Eligibility and Compliance Committee, said in a statement.
UConn's multiyear APR score for the 2009-2010 report was 893
Manuel said the school’s athletics department put changes in place before filing the appeal to improve players’ academic performance.
"While we as a University and coaching staff clearly should have done a better job academically with our men's basketball student-athletes in the past, the changes we have implemented have already had a significant impact and have helped us achieve the success we expect in the classroom," men's basketball Coach Jim Calhoun said in a statement. "We will continue to strive to maintain that success as we move forward."
UConn president Susan Herbst said in a news release that she is proud of the current men's team and that they have worked hard in the classroom.
"It is disturbing that our current players must pay a penalty for the academic performance of students no longer enrolled. As I have said repeatedly, no educator or parent purposefully punishes young people for the failings of others," Herbst said in a release.
