INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The NCAA is penalizing Syracuse's men's basketball team, as well as Colorado's men's football and basketball team, after the three squads failed to meet academic standards.

Syracuse and Colorado are the only BCS schools in football or men's and women's basketball being sanctioned for falling short of the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate cutline of 925.

The APR measures the classroom performance of every Division I team.

The Orange's basketball team scored 912 and could lose up to two basketball scholarships if academically ineligible players leave school before next season.

In a statement released by the Syracuse Athletic department Wednesday, Syracuse Men's Basketball head coach Jim Boeheim blamed the lowest score in the program's history on the early departure of several student-athletes.

“We have always been above the APR standard since it was implemented. We had three students leave school early to pursue professional basketball careers last spring and that is difficult to overcome,” said head coach Jim Boeheim. “In anticipation of this, we took the scholarship penalty during the 2009-10 school year. We anticipate being back above the APR standard when the next report is compiled.”

Sue Cornelius Edson, a spokesperson for the athletic department said none of this will have any future impacts on the basketball team, or Syracuse Athletics.

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