TEAMS FAILING TO MAKE GRADE NCAA STANDARDS NOT BEING MET.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

INDIANAPOLIS - The USC men's basketball program could be one of many teams at the local Division I level to lose scholarships next year under the NCAA's new academic standards, according to a report released Monday.

The findings, based on information from the previous school year, will result only in warnings this year. Penalties ranging from a loss of scholarships to a ``death penalty'' ban from NCAA competition will begin to take effect next year, when two years' worth of data can be analyzed.

The NCAA's new calculation generates a score between 0 and 1,000. The number is determined by a formula that rewards long-term eligibility and retention of student-athletes. Programs can lose points when athletes transfer, drop out, leave for the pros or become academically ineligible while still at the school.

Of the four local schools (UCLA, USC, Cal State Northridge and Pepperdine), only Pepperdine had all of its sports teams above the 925-point mark at which penalties would be assessed. The most prominent programs that appeared in trouble were the USC basketball (761) and baseball (878) teams, the UCLA football (862) and men's soccer (846) teams and CSUN's baseball (862) team.

The USC men's basketball team had the fifth-worst score of Division I programs. Only Fresno State (611), Baylor (647), Cal State Fullerton (750) and Sacramento State (759) were lower.

In football, UCLA tied for the eight-worst score with Arizona.

``Because it's such a small snapshot, it's not indicative of any trends or issues,'' said Petrina Long, UCLA associated athletic director. ``We think that a lot of these issues will be cleared up with next year. Our rate (for football) was sent in at 917, and the NCAA implemented adjustments that dropped us down to 862. And those are adjustments that can get worked out.''

The new calculation gives an athlete one point each semester for staying academically eligible and another point for staying in school. For instance, a perfect score for a 13-member basketball team at a semester school would be 52.

The total number of points a team actually receives is divided by the maximum possible total to get a percentage, which is converted to the 1,000-point scale.

The 925 figure, said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for membership services, is equivalent to a 50 percent graduation rate.

``The APR (academic progress rate) is an improved measurement of academic success,'' Lennon said. ``It is a real-time, term-by-term view of the academic-eligibility retention of scholarship student-athletes. ... It prevents teams from replacing the scholarships of an athlete who leaves that institution and would not have been academically eligible if he or she returned.''

NCAA officials said only seven percent of programs fell below the desired mark. About half of all 328 Division I schools were put on warning in at least one sport. There are 5,270 Division I sports teams, and 7.2 percent, or 410, did not meet the APR standard.

``This represents the implementation of the most far-reaching academic reform in decades,'' NCAA president Myles Brand said. ``It holds schools accountable for the performance of their student-athletes.''

Schools are expected to be notified in December of the final results, and programs must take the penalties as early as possible.

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ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATE