NCAA penalizes two Southeast programs

~ APR scores resulted in sanctions for football and men's basketball.

Southeast Missouri State's football and men's basketball teams received penalties from the NCAA based on their Academic Progress Rate scores, which were released Wednesday.

The football team will be limited to awarding 27 intial scholarships and 82 scholarship renewals, meaning the program will be limited to awarding 61.28 total scholarships. This is the third consecutive year the football team has been penalized.

The men's basketball team will be limited to awarding 12 scholarship renewals.

While the news for the two flagship programs was disheartening, the university's other 13 programs provided positive news.

The men's cross country team earned the highest APR score, a 991, followed closely by the volleyball team at 990. A perfect score is 1,000.

The scores were calculated based on data from the 2004 fall semester through the 2008 spring semester. Each athlete receives one point per semester for remaining academically eligible and another point each semester for remaining at that school or graduating.

If a team fails to post a score of 925, it can face immediate penalties. If a program consistently fails to score 900, it can be slapped with the NCAA's toughest sanctions, like a ban from postseason play or restricted Division I membership for the entire athletic department.

Every Southeast program scored over 900, but baseball (923), men's basketball (911) and football (909) failed to meet the 925 mark. The baseball program did not receive any penalties.

Ten of the university's 15 programs posted an increase in its APR score, with volleyball experiencing the biggest jump from 964 to 990.

The women's basketball program, which was penalized in the 2008 report after posting a 914 score, saw its score jump to 926 this year. The baseball team, which was penalized in the 2008 report after scoring a 904, did not receive any sanctions after scoring 923 this year.

Southeast was one of three Ohio Valley Conference members to receive penalties. The Tennessee-Martin football and men's basketball programs also received sanctions, while Jacksonville State's men's basketball and football programs face sanctions, although the football program has applied for a penalty waiver.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.