NCAA honors 712 teams

Duke, UNC well-represented on list

Kansas and North Carolina are regulars at the top of men's college basketball polls. They were recognized on another list Thursday.

The men's teams at the two national powers, which met in the Final Four earlier this month, were included among 712 Division I squads singled out by the NCAA for their solid academic performance. Although the total number of teams publicly recognized dropped from 839 last year, 192 schools had at least one team finish among the top 10 percent of all schools in their sport.

The Ivy League accounted for more than one-fifth of all the teams honored, with 150 men's and women's teams recognized on the list. The Patriot League was second with 89, and the Big East was third at 47. The ACC had 41 teams recognized.

Duke led the ACC with 12 teams recognized. Davidson (14) was tops in North Carolina.

The grades are calculated over a four-year period, although the numbers from 2007-08 will not be included until next year.

The NCAA gives each player on each team one point for staying academically eligible and another point for remaining at the school each semester, accumulating a total of four points per year. The NCAA then uses a mathematical formula to calculate each team's score. Those scores are expected to be released in early May. A perfect score is 1,000. Teams that fall below the cutline of 925 are subject to penalties, which include the potential loss of scholarships.

BASKETBALL

COACHING NEWS: Virginia Commonwealth and men's basketball coach Anthony Grant have agreed in principle to a contract extension and raise to keep him at the school through 2014.

* UAB men's basketball coach Mike Davis received a two-year contract extension and a $25,000 raise Thursday.

NBA DRAFT: Missouri's DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons declared Thursday for the NBA Draft, though neither will hire an agent and could return to school.

(The Associated Press)

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP: Third-seeded Duke and fifth-seeded North Carolina advanced to the semifinals after wins Thursday in Charlottesville, Va.

Duke rolled past sixth-seeded Virginia Tech 19-6 and will face second-seeded Virginia today. North Carolina beat fourth-seeded Boston College 12-8 and will play top-seeded Maryland today.

ALL-ACC TEAM: Four Duke and four North Carolina players made the 19-player All-ACC team, which was announced Thursday.

Juniors Carolyn Davis, Megan Del Monte and Emma Hamm and senior Yani Newton represent the Devils, while seniors Erica LaGrow and Meg Freshwater, junior Amber Falcone and freshman Corey Donohue represent the Heels.

MEN'S LACROSSE

ALL-ACC TEAM: Duke senior Matt Danowski was named ACC player of the year for the third time, and three of his senior teammates joined him on the All-ACC team, which was announced Thursday.

Zack Greer, Max Quinzani and Tony McDevitt also made the squad for Duke. North Carolina was represented by juniors Ben Hunt and Grant Zimmerman.

TRACK AND FIELD

ACC HONOR: UNC's Charles Cox, the 400 meters winner at the ACC Championships, was named the freshman of the year in the conference on Thursday.

(From College News Releases)