Four MEAC, two SWAC teams banned from postseason by NCAA

The new APR info is out, and there is both good and bad news for HBCU programs in it. The good is that scores are up across the board. The bad, is that there is still a long way to go. All five FCS football programs and both men’s basketball program hit with postseason bans are HBCUs.

Four MEAC members won’t get a shot at competing for the Celebration Bowl, as Florida A&M, Howard, Morgan State and Savannah State were all hit with postseason bans for the 2016 football season. They will be joined by SWAC member Southern as the only programs hit with the ban, which mandates an APR of at least 930.

Both the MEAC and SWAC will have one team each unable to compete in the NCAA Tournament or any other postseason tournament as both Savannah State and Alcorn State were hit with bans.

The NCAA showed that HBCUs increased their average score from 918 to 956 in the last five years.

Southern was the most-penalized school, as baseball, men’s cross country, men’s track, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s track, softball and women’s basketball were all banned.

North Carolina A&T’s men’s basketball team was hit with a Level One penalty, losing four hours and one day of practice time per week in season.