MU's APR is A-OK

The NCAA released its Academic Progress Rate scores for the 2014-15 school year Wednesday, and the Missouri men's basketball team is safe for now.

The men's basketball team received a multiyear score of 946 and a single-year score of 976 for Kim Anderson's first season as head coach at Missouri. Those were increases from multiyear and single-year scores of 941 and 851, respectively, for 13-14, Frank Haith's final year at Missouri. The new multiyear score ranks last in the Southeastern Conference.

For teams to be eligible to participate in NCAA championship tournaments, either a two-year average APR of 940 or a four-year average of 930 is needed. Missouri falls short on the former, coming in at 913. But the Tigers' four-year average is 941.24, more than 11 points in the clear.

Starting next year, only the four-year average will be used by the NCAA to determine eligibility for tournament play.

The Missouri football team earned a single-year APR of 987 under Gary Pinkel, the highest score for the team since the scores were first recorded for the 2003-04 school year. The Tigers' APR in 2013-14 was 961. Missouri's multiyear score is 978, good for fifth in the SEC and up from last year's 976, which was third in the SEC.

APR scores were used to determine bowl eligibility for five-win teams last year. Missouri's score was high enough to earn it a bid, but the Tigers declined to participate in a bowl.

APR scores are formulated based on scholarship players' academic eligibility and a teams' retention of players. The highest score possible is 1,000, a number earned by four Missouri teams: volleyball, tennis, women's swimming and diving and women's golf.

The Missouri men's basketball team lost four players to transfer from the during the 2014-15 school year and the following summer: Cameron Biedscheid, Johnathan Williams III, Deuce Bello and Montaque Gill-Caesar.

While Anderson said earlier this spring he believed Missouri's 2014-15 APR score would be fine, there is some question as to whether it will drop when the 2015-16 scores are released. Missouri lost four players to dismissal or transfer during the '15-16 school year: Wes Clark, D'Angelo Allen, Namon Wright and Tramaine Isabell, and Martavian Payne left the team before the season to focus on school and eventually transferred.

Missouri's APRs

Here are the complete multiyear APRs for Missouri athletics during the '14-15 school year:

Team - APR

Women's Volleyball 1,000

Women's Tennis 1,000

Women's Swimming and Diving 1,000

Men's Golf 1,000

Women's Track 995

Women's Soccer 992

Women's Gymnastics 992

Women's Golf 992

Women's Basketball 991

Softball 991

Men's Cross Country 988

Women's Cross Country 988

Men's Track 986

Men's Wrestling 985

Football 978

Men's Swimming and Diving 977

Baseball 969

Men's Basketball 946