The NCAA needs to throw out a few numbers every once in a while to make it look like it's serious about the "student" half of the free labor it loves to describe as "student-athletes." For a while, the NCAA would publish graduation rates in accordance with financial aid-related legislation. Then the NCAA developed its own metric: the APR, or Academic Progress Rate, which the NCAA defines as "a term-by-term measure of eligibility and retention" that is supposed to function as "an early indicator of eventual graduation rates." In other words, instead of churning out press releases that explicitly say how few student-athletes graduate, the NCAA can shake its head disapprovingly and say a particular program "fell below the APR threshold." Because the NCAA is serious about this, you see. Which brings us to UConn basketball, which yesterday was declared ineligible for postseason tournaments next year because it failed to reach a score of 900 on its APR. (Over the next three years, the NCAA intends to raise that benchmark to 930—a number that more or less corresponds to a 50 percent graduation rate.) Cue the Cassandras, such as this one quoted by The New York Times: "It is kind of surprising we've come this far with the A.P.R. and we still have a big-time school that's fallen below that number," said Jason Lanter, an assistant professor of psychology at Kutztown University and the president of the Drake Group, an N.C.A.A. watchdog. "What I'd be interested to see is what's going to happen in the academic support unit at UConn. Who's going to be held accountable for the UConn men's basketball team?" Who, indeed? Remember, the NCAA's interest here is in being fair to other programs that do have their academic house in order. But the NCAA also has no use for an athlete as an actual student once his or her four years of eligibility has expired. Lanter is asking the right question, but he's looking for the answer in the wrong place. [The New York Times]
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Sporting KC scored three first-half goals on their way to a 4-1 win at LAFC to claim top spot in the Western Conference in the MLS on Wednesday.
Alan Pulido, Luis Martins and Daniel Salloi all scored within 16 minutes as KC raced to a 3-0 lead. Salloi s classy volley took his tally to nine goals this MLS season.
Israeli midfielder Gadi Kinda added a fourth in the 58th minute with Graham Zusi getting his second assist, before LAFC got a consolation from Danny Musovski.
The win lifted Sporting KC past Seattle Sounders who conceded in the 90th minute to draw 1-1 at home with Dallas.
Fredy Montero had put the Sounders ahead in the 72nd minute with a set-piece header but Dallas equalised from Franco Jara s 90th-minute close-range strike.
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Verdict: Napoli to Win to Nil
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Crotone travel to Serie A runners up Napoli hoping to claim vital three points in their survival fight and perform a great escape at the eleventh hour.
Napoli
They have been applauded and lauded all season long for their high-tempo style of play and exhilarating football which earned them so many fans around the world but in the end, Napoli have little to be happy about as the 2017-18 season draws to a close.
Partenopei have once again failed to mount a Serie A challenge and turned their Scudetto marathon into a sprint, which left them without a breath in a crucial stage of the competition. Maurizio Sarri claimed his team lost the Serie A title in a hotel watching Juventus score two goals in …
Market: Under 2.5 goals
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Looking to extend on their Premiership purple patch on Friday night, Aberdeen will make the trip to Victoria Park when they meet Ross County.
Starting with the hosts, managing to make what was a much-needed return to winning ways last weekend, Ross County will now be hoping to find some Premiership stability over the final few weeks. Eventually picking up a deserved 2-0 victory away at St. Johnstone, Malky Mackay’s side also drew a line under their three-match losing run. Marking their return from the international break with a 2-0 loss at home against Celtic, the Stages have failed to collect back-to-back domestic victories since opening 2023. Likewise, losing consecutive top-flight appearances at Victoria Park, the one-tim…
Walter Mazzarri wants reigning Serie A champions Napoli to buck the trend of recording underwhelming results and kick on in 2024, starting with a positive result at his former club Torino on Sunday.
The Azzurri claimed a first Scudetto since 1990 last season but are now languishing down in eighth after losing four of their last seven games, with last week’s goalless draw at home to Monza summing up the current sense of malaise in Naples.
Defending their crown may look a tall order, with leaders Inter Milan already 20 points better off, but Mazzarri just wants to start delivering better performances for the fans.
Mazzarri: “Mazzocchi? Felice del suo arrivo e della sua carica”
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Real Madrid full-back Fabio Coentrao has requested a transfer, manager Carlos Ancelotti has revealed.
The Portugal international has struggled to nail down a regular first-team spot since arriving from Benfica in 2011, making 53 appearances in all competitions.
Coentrao has been linked with a move to Tottenham as a potential makeweight in any move for Gareth bale, but he now looks set to depart the Bernabeu, regardless of Madrid s pursuit of the Welshman.
Chelsea have also been credited with an interest in the 25-year-old and Ancelotti confirmed the left-back will not feature in Real s Liga opener against Real Betis on Sunday.
Coentrao has asked to leave the club and won’t be playing tomorrow (Sunday), he said.
Ancelotti insisted he was happy with the mak…
Juventus face a tough ask in returning to winning ways in Serie A when the fourth-placed Sampdoria visit Turin on Sunday.
Successive 0-0 draws have slowed the momentum of Juve, who previously won six matches in a row scoring 19 times in the process.
But their goalless stalemate against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday was crucial as it booked their place in the last 16.
Juve are the only Serie A side remaining in Europe s premier club competition and showed good character to qualify after losing two of their first three Group A matches.
They dominated an Atleti side who were happy to sit back and concede possession but lacked cutting edge something coach Massimiliano Allegri will be keen to address.
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Mesut Ozil should be benched for Germany s second World Cup group game against Sweden, according to Stefan Effenberg.
Arsenal midfielder Ozil played the full 90 minutes as Germany slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Mexico in their Group F opener – the side s first competitive defeat since their semi-final exit from Euro 2016 when they lost 2-0 to France.
Effenberg questioned Germany head coach Joachim Low s decision not to include second-half substitute Marco Reus in his starting line-up, calling for the Borussia Dortmund man to be in from the outset against Sweden.
Low should put Ozil on the bench and bring in Marco Reus instead, Effenberg wrote in his column on t-online.de. I could not understand why Reus did not play against Mexico from the start.
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West Ham United are readying a £25m bid for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson, .
The twenty-four old has been eyed the former Coventry City man as a potential January target as he looks for reinforcements following an injury to Diafra Sakho.
Wilson missed the majority of last season with an ACL injury but has impressed since returning, scoring four goals in twelve league appearances so far this term.
He bagged twenty league goals for the Cherries in his first season with the club, helping them clinch the Championship title in 2015.
West Ham sit just a point above the Premier League relegation zone following their 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
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Looking to punch their Copa del Rey semi-final ticket on Wednesday night, Barcelona will travel to San Mames when they meet Athletic Bilbao.
Athletic Bilbao
Starting with the hosts, watching their domestic romp come to an abrupt end over the weekend, Athletic Bilbao will certainly be seeking an immediate response here. Eventually falling to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Valencia, Ernesto Valverde’s men will be excited to make a return to San Mames on Wednesday night. Currently leading the chase to snatch a famous Champions League ticket in 2024, the Lions have continued to gain a fearsome reputation for their success on home soil. Last seen in Basque Country claiming a routine 2-0 victory against Alaves, the one-time Barcelona boss has …
Cadiz confirmed a fan who suffered a cardiac arrest during the 4-0 defeat to Barcelona was resuscitated before being admitted to the intensive care unit of a local hospital.
Play was stopped with under 10 minutes of normal time remaining at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Saturday after it became apparent someone in the stands had been taken ill.
Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma could be seen passing a defibrillator to those in the stands, and after close to 20 minutes, the referee spoke with the captains of both sides, with the players taken off the field and down the tunnel.
Treatment was administered to the fan, with play resuming around 40 minutes later and the visitors going on to win the game 4-0.
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