Graduation rates of "March Madness" basketball players

From a StarTribune column by Rachel Blount:

[Athletic programs] that graduate half of their players -- or fewer -- are routinely ushered behind the velvet ropes of March Madness and given their fat envelopes of cash. The academic progress rate (APR) doesn't factor into the selection process. Ten teams with an APR below 925, which translates to a graduation rate of about 50 percent, made the NCAA field this year. According to the Knight Commission, from 2006 through 2010, teams falling below that lenient standard earned $178.8 million in NCAA tournament revenues...

Of the teams playing in Saturday's Final Four, the thinking person's favorite is Butler, which has a perfect APR of 1000. Virginia Commonwealth is at 975, Kentucky at 954 and Connecticut at 930, close to the edge of that 50 percent standard...

 Last year, 19 schools in the NCAA tournament had APRs of 925 or below. The 10 who made this year's field while failing to meet that mark include Syracuse (912), Purdue (919), San Diego State (921) and Morehead State (906).