The NCAA released the Academic Progress Rate (APR) figures for 2009-10 yesterday and, although the Hogs are showing signs of climbing out of their enormous hole from years past, they still have plenty of work to do.
Here's the overview:
* the men's basketball team will lose one scholarship for falling below the NCAA-mandated four-year average of 925 (Arkansas came in at 892). Mike Anderson was aware of this possibility before taking the job, and if all scholarship players are eligible next season the penalty won't be enforced until 2012-13.
* does being docked a scholarship feel harsh? Chris Bahn says the NCAA is actually being pretty lenient here.
* as a reminder, the anchor weighing the entire bball APR down is a 755 score posted by the 2007-08 team. It jumped to 955 in 2008-09 and then slipped to 918 in 2009-10, but once that 2007-08 slips out of the four-year average the Razorbacks' scores should jump up.
* wondering about the football team? Bobby Petrino's bunch came in at 937 - good enough to beat the penalty cutoff, but still tied with Tennessee for lowest in the SEC (even below Ole Miss...ouch).
* furthermore, the football player exits that created a bit of a stir last week aren't expected to have a serious impact on future APR rankings.
* kudos to the women's gymnastics team for rocking a perfect score of 1,000. If we could just have a few of those ladies tutor the men's basketballers this whole mess might get straightened out pretty quickly.