CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, information about who was invited to sit with President Barack Obama during the Marquette game was misstated. The Rev. Scott Pilarz, the president of Marquette University, was not invited to sit with the president. The Daily Orange regrets this error. 

those invited to sit next to the president during the Marquette game were misstated. The Rev. Scott Pilarz was not invited to sit next to the president. The Daily Orange regrets this error. 

Syracuse may be playing in the Final Four, but the academic strength of the team is still under scrutiny.

NCAA President Mark Emmert opened his Final Four press conference on Thursday explaining the academic and oversight changes for the organization, according to an NCAA transcript. He then went on to defend those changes and hear questions on the academic situations at specific programs, including Syracuse.

Syracuse advances to the Final Four while under a wide-ranging NCAA investigation. This is also the second season in a row where an SU player has been declared academically ineligible.

Emmert said he was unable to provide any update on the Syracuse investigation or comment on specifics.

During the press conference, Emmert fielded a question on whether the NCAA had the power to stop the pattern of teams coming to play while under heat for academic performance or ability to follow policy, such as Syracuse.

“The fact of the matter is that the association has provided, for decades out, a level of regulatory oversight that’s had a positive impact on college sports,” Emmert said. “Are there things that go wrong out there? Of course, there are.”

He went on to say the NCAA evaluation was the “best vehicle for self-governance,” which is why it will continue to be supported.

Emmert himself and the quality of NCAA case investigations also came under fire during the news conference. The NCAA violated its own policies while investigating Miami (Fla.).

Emmert acknowledged a mistake was made when dealing with the Hurricanes.

“The Miami case is obviously a significant blow to the confidence people have in enforcement, and we’ve worked very, very hard to be as open and frank about that case,” Emmert said.

Emmert also dismissed an article in USA Today that dug into Emmert’s past and how he mishandled sporting scandals at Connecticut, Louisiana State and Montana State.

When Syracuse played against Marquette on Saturday, SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor was spotted sitting with Emmert and President Barack Obama. The meeting was social, said Kevin Quinn, SU vice president for public affairs

Questioning Syracuse’s academic performance during the NCAA Tournament is nothing new. During last year’s NCAA Tournament, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called out Syracuse as part of a group of schools that needed to improve academically.

Academic Progress Rate is the meter used by the NCAA to track the academic performances of university athletic teams. A rate of 900 out of 1,000 is roughly equivalent to a 45-percent NCAA graduation success rate.

The APR required to play in the tournament was increased from 900 to 930 in October, a change that will be in full effect in about three years. Syracuse’s men’s basketball team has an APR of 936 for the 2010-2011 academic year.

As recent as the 2008-2009 academic year, Syracuse had an APR of 912. School officials have said the low score was due to players leaving Syracuse before graduation to pursue professional basketball careers.

The increase in required APR had “a profound impact on coaches and on athletic programs in all the right ways,” Emmert said. He said the NCAA is seeing “some nice success in the increase” of APR for this academic year.

“The data are incomplete, but when we report them out, I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised as I was when we saw the success we’re having there,” Emmert said.

The NCAA typically releases its annual report on APR in June.

Published on April 4, 2013 at 6:11 pm

Contact Dara: dkmcbrid@syr.edu | @daramcbride