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Six Tiger teams record perfect APR scores, Mizzou beats kU 9-7

Mizzou Links for May 3

By Karen Steger
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STUDENT-Athlete School.

Mizzou fans are always joking about what type of “school” this is. We’re a Wrestling School— TRUE. We’re a Softball (ish) School— Well, we have been at least. We’re a Gymnastics School— we are, don’t argue with me. We desperately want to be a Football School and a Basketball School— who doesn’t?! But hear me out, based on the new Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores which were released Tuesday by the NCAA, maybe we’re just a Student-Athlete School. A school that cares about academics AND winning, too.

With the school year wrapping up, it’s time to put on my academic regalia and get all scholarly, y’all.

APR Explained

In case you’ve forgotten, APR scores are based on scholarship/financial aid-receiving athletes (i.e. Kobe counts, Lil Francois doesn’t), who earn one eligibility point a semester if they are academically eligible and another each semester they remain in school or earn their diploma. A team’s total points are divided by the points possible and then multiplied by 1000 to equal the APR.

Here’s an example from Wikipedia:

A Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team awards the full complement of 85 grants-in-aid. If 80 student-athletes remain in school and academically eligible, three remain in school but are academically ineligible and two drop out academically ineligible, the team earns 163 of 170 possible points for that term. Divide 163 by 170 and multiply by 1,000 to determine that the team’s Academic Progress Rate for that term is 959.

Leaving to play professionally or want to transfer? That’s fine... if you’re in good academic standing. Per the NCAA, it appears that “good academic standing” is defined as at least 40% (2nd year) / 60% (3rd year) / 80% (4th year) of your courses going towards your degree. So no random classes that don’t go towards anything in particular. I swear there’s a GPA requirement too, but I can’t find it. I thought it was a 2.3 or a 2.5 as I flash back to the dark days of 2015 when Mizzou’s basketball APR was in the gutter (more on that in a bit).

If you leave the school (or stay, for that matter) and you aren’t in good academic standing, then the team’s score will take a hit, and should the 4-year rolling multiyear rate fall before 930 (roughly a 50% grad rate), you’re in trouble. While only public shaming occurred during the Covid years, the actual penalties are starting again in 2024-25 when eligibility goes back to normal.

Weirdly enough, you’d think in the time of Transferportalmania, APR would nationally take a hit. Well, you’re wrong!!! Per WaPo, which was published on May 2:

The overall score for Division I athletes held steady at 984 despite slight decreases in the three most visible sports, according to the latest four-year results released Tuesday. Athletes in football and men’s basketball each saw their numbers drop by two points, falling to 962 and 967, while women’s basketball players saw a one-point drop to 982. Baseball scores remained unchanged at 977.

Mizzou’s Data: Based on 2021-22 season (BDG) [Before Dennis Gates]

Per MUTigers.com, which I will heavily reference here, six Missouri programs — Women’s Golf (9x), Tennis (7th straight), Women’s XC (6x), Women’s Hoops (5x), Volleyball (4x), Soccer Softball (2x) — posted a perfect score of 1000 multiyear APR, which spans 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22. 16 of 18 MU teams exceeded their sport’s national average.

In fact, 14 of Missouri’s 18 programs met (1) or exceeded (13) their respective sport’s averages (it was 15/18 last year), and for the first time since 2012-13— THAT WAS A DECADE AGO — all of the programs scored higher than a 965 and 16 of the teams scored above a 980. For comparison’s sakes, MU reported last year that four programs earned perfect scores, all 18 together averaged a 990, and 12 MU Teams scored 990+. Per the chart below, it looks like 11 teams scored 990+ (i.e. all the women’s teams plus men’s track).

Additional Notes:

  • Football recorded its best since the first release of APR data in 2004, notching a 989 (6 points higher than last year), which is also 27 points higher than the national average. Drink may not win a lot on the field, but his team is successful off it!
  • Men’s Track also recorded its best ever with 991 (974 last year).
  • Other teams matching/exceeding last year’s numbers: Men’s Hoops (last year was 963), Men’s XC (973 last year), Gymnastics (995 last year), Soccer (996 last year), Women’s Swim & Dive (994 last year), Wrestling (986 last year)
  • Other multiyear scores: Women’s Track & Field went down 2 points (998 to 996), Baseball (981 to 977), Men’s Swim & Dive (992 to 987), Men’s Golf (992 to 983)
  • Here’s the multiyear data only from the NCAA site since Mizzou gave us limited info:
NCAA.org
Per this data, Softbal lhas the 1000 multiyear score, not Soccer (996)

Historical Comparison (AKA: When Frank Tanked the Team)

In this May 2015 piece by STL Today’s Dave Matter, he talked about the tumbling of Mizzou Hoops’ APR during the Frank Haith era. They scored an absolutely abysmal 851 that year— did anyone go to class, pass their classes, or stay in school that year?! — which lowered their 4-year multiyear data to 941, a bit too close to that 930 cut-off to face severe repercussions. Faith in Haith, amiright? The worst 4-year rolling average for Mizzou Hoops was 938 in the 2004-05 season, by the way, so congrats on not being the worst in that regard? In case you’re wondering, Football during this 2015 release was a 961 (975 multiyear).

Per the Wiki link, the highest-profile Dvision 1 penalty handed down in the age of APR was to the defending national champion, UConn. The Huskies lost two scholarships for the 2011–12 season due to APR violations during the 2009-10 school year, and were barred from postseason play in 2012–13 due to that rolling average falling under the 930 mark.

The moral of this story? Go to class. Get decent grades. Graduate (even if you have to come back and do it after you’ve exhausted your eligibility— they’ll reconfigure the data).

Class is dismissed. Coach K— OUT.

I was going to write about Mizzou Baseball’s Border War Showdown, but I clearly love the APR stuff, so here’s some highlights and stats!

Until the 9th, that is, when a homer made it much closer.

The Stats

  • Austin: 2-4 | 3 R | 3B | HBP
  • Mann: 4-5 | R | 4 RBI | 3 2B | HR | K
  • Zeisler: 0-3 | R | RBI | BB | SAC | 2 LOB
  • Bargo: 3-4 | R | K
  • Wilmsmeyer: 2-3 | K | SAC
  • Garcia: 1-3 | R | RBI | BB | K
  • Careswell: 1-1 | RBI | 2B

Overall Hitting: 9 R | 13 H | 7 RBI | 6 XBH | 4 BB | 10 K (3 by Chick, 6 looking) | HBP | 2 SAC | 8 LOB | .382 BA | .364 w/ 2 outs | .200 RISP | .500 leadoff

  • Smith: 1 IP | 3 H | 3 ER | BB | 2 K | WP | XBH | 7 BF | 30 pitches
  • Lucas: 1.1 IP | 2 H | XBH | K | 7 BF | 32 pitches
  • Maltrud: 1.2 IP | K | HBP | 7 BF | 30 pitches
  • Potthoff: 4.1 IP | 5 H | 3 R | 2 ER | 2 BB | 4 K | 2 HR | 21 BF | 79 pitches
  • Franklin: 0.2 IP | H | ER | 2 HBP | 6 BF | 20 pitches

Overall Pitching: 12 H | 7 R | 6 ER | 6 BB | 8 K (2 looking) | WP | 3 HBP | 3 XBH | .316 OppBA | .333 w/ 2 outs | .250 RISP | .333 leadoff

On to the Links! M-I-Z!

Yesterday at Rock M

More Links:

Hoops

  • Fun on the course for Mizzou Hoops with a shoutout to Women’s Golf for the assist
  • DENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. No. 1 in our Hearts on this un-ranked list
  • Tamar Time! Well... soon enough.

Football

Other Mizzou Sports

As a freshman at MDC in 2021, she was named to the first-team All-Southern Conference and Southern Conference All-Academic first team. She also earned NJCAA National Offensive Player of the Week and was named conference setter of the week multiple times.

Per the Missourian, she also added a 6’3 Syracuse right side hitter, Naomi Franco, on Monday. You can also read more about Vilaca at the Missourian.

Former Tiger Corner

  • Michael Porter, Jr. stats in Western Conference Semifinals:

Game 1 (Denver 125 - Suns 107): 31 min | 11pts on 5-9 FG (1-4 3PT) | 3 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 3 PF | +29

Game 2 (Denver 97 - Suns 87): 23 min | 5pts on 2-7 FG (0-2 3PT) | 4 REB | 1 AST | 1 BLK | -12

UP NEXT: Game 3 on Friday, 5/5 at 9pm on ESPN

  • Soph-spotting
  • Tanner Houck talking about The Home, a nonprofit that helps kids that come from abused homes

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