And therein lies the rub, according to the NCAA.

The governing body for intercollegiate athletics introduced a reform package, called the Academic Performance Rate (APR), last winter. It's designed to ensure student-athletes earn good grades and stay in school, and the NCAA starts tracking each program's progress next month. Schools not in compliance will have two years to get their acts together, or face penalties ranging from the loss of scholarships to the loss of NCAA affiliation.

The delimiter between a "good program" and a "bad program" is 925, which is approximately equal to a 50 percent graduation rate. When the NCAA released initial APRs (see chart) in February as a reference point of sorts, the Utes' number was 857. But they aren't alone that low. Mountain West schools UNLV, Wyoming and New Mexico are also below the magic number. So is Utah State, at 904. In fact, 47 percent of the nation's basketball programs fell under 925.

"The message is clear: Recruit student-athletes that can do college work. Help them and keep them enrolled so the opportunity for college education becomes a reality," NCAA president Myles Brand said after the APR debuted in February. The APR was widely criticized by school officials and coaches when the figures debuted.

Not so much by Utah athletic director Chris Hill, however. He was on the committee that helped design the APR. Still, Hill oversees a men's basketball team at Utah that's in the danger zone.

Like it or not, the Utes are stuck with adhering to the APR, as are the rest of the country's Division I programs. So what are they doing to get the program out of the NCAA's doghouse, so to speak?

This much is certain: There is no quick fix.

Even if Utah earned every possible point awarded by the NCAA - every current player would have to return to the program next year and each remain academically eligible - the program still wouldn't be above 925.

"It's kind of like starting your college grade-point average at a 2.0 and trying to get above a 3.0," Hill said of the often confusing progress rate. "It's going to take a little while."

Perhaps that's what the NCAA meant when it redesigned its academic progress measurement, abandoning the six-year graduation-rate standard for the APR. Half of the points awarded to a school are for retention, and half are for eligibility, or grades. Schools lose points if students become ineligible (usually, that means a GPA of about 2.0 or less) or if a student transfers or leaves early to turn pro.

Utah, it seems, has recruited players making the grades. It just has trouble keeping them.

A look at the GPAs for the men's basketball program over the last three years shows just one semester where it fell below the eligibility line. It was the semester former coach Rick Majerus left the program in midseason.

Last spring, one-third of the team had GPAs better than 3.0.

The issue is retention. For all their recent success, the Utes haven't been able to hold on to their players. Last season, Utah lost points for the transfers of Richard Chaney, Justin Hawkins, Jake Schmidt and Jermaine Calvin. Andrew Bogut, the No. 1 pick in the NBA, left campus midway through the second semester to train for workouts with pro teams. He received incomplete grades, and was classified as ineligible and a non-returnee, costing the Utes two points.

Hill didn't blame the star center for his choice - "If it were my kid I'd tell him to do the same thing" - but said every player isn't a potential No. 1 pick. Unless your team is Duke.

The Blue Devils, with an APR of 960, are above the waterline this year. But with two All-Americans and an outstanding supporting cast, Duke could lose as many as five players to the NBA in the spring.

They'd lose as many points, according to the APR guidelines.

In addition to the potential loss of scholarships or banishment from the NCAA, programs in violation following a two-year review period could also face postseason bans.

The Utes aren't there yet, by any means. But the recent coaching change - Giacoletti took over the program before the 2004-2005 season - precipitated the exodus of a number of players last season. Also, a number of players left when Majerus did. And that left Utah in a tight spot.

"We didn't dig the hole," Giacoletti said. "But we're trying to dig ourselves out. We're doing the best we can. I've been open and accountable about it. We had to do some things last spring, and that's on me."

Giacoletti praised his most recent recruiting class, which included 17-year-old Kim Tillie of Cagnes-sur-Mer, France. Tillie missed out on big-time youth tournaments in France to focus on his studies, according to Giacoletti.

Shaun Green, now a freshman and one of Giacoletti's first recruits, said the Utes stressed academics as much as any other school that recruited him.

"They placed a lot on academics," Green said. "They told me they weren't going to put up with someone who doesn't go to class."

The coaching staff receives progress reports throughout the semester on each student and regularly checks attendance.

But the only the way the Utes will climb above 925 is if their players choose to remain in Salt Lake City and perform well academically. Giacoletti believes that will be a byproduct of the type of program he's trying to establish. Hill, the athletic director, hopes so.

"Ray and I have had some good discussions about it," Hill said. "I told him, 'I hold you accountable for the guys you recruit.' Ray is aware of these things and what he has to do. I feel really good about how he is working with his team."

What is APR?

* In the winter of 2004, the NCAA developed an Academic Progress Rate that examines academic success on a more real-time basis than graduation rates over a six-year period, the old standard.

* A team's APR is the total points earned by the team at a give time - points are awarded for eligibility (approximately a 2.0 grade-point average or better) and retention - divided by the total points possible. A cutoff score of 925 is roughly equal to a 50 percent graduation rate. Of all the Division I men's basketball programs in the country, 47 percent fell below 925 when the initial, or test, results came out in February.

* The NCAA starts keeping track for real next month. The possible penalties start after two years of data are collected.

* Teams that fall below the cutoff on a consistent basis are subject to such penalties as the loss of scholarships, postseason bans or the loss of NCAA membership status.

* If a team improves dramatically over the span of two years, it could be eligible for a special dispensation, according to the NCAA.

2005-2006 Schedule

Date Opponent Time

Nov. 5 vs. Whitman W, 77-54

Nov. 14 vs. NW Nazarene 7 p.m.

Nov. 18 vs. Texas State 7 p.m.

Nov. 22 vs. Rhode Island 7 p.m.

Nov. 26 at Weber State 7 p.m.

Nov. 30 vs. Utah State 7 p.m.

Dec. 3 at Rice 3 p.m.

Dec. 7 at Colorado 7 p.m.

Dec. 10 vs. Southern Utah 7 p.m.

Dec. 17 vs. Arizona 2 p.m.

Dec. 19 vs. Adams State 7 p.m.

Dec. 22 at Washington St. 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28 vs. High Point 7 p.m.

Jan. 4 vs. New Mexico 7 p.m.

Jan. 7 at BYU 1 p.m.

Jan. 11 vs. San Diego St. 7 p.m.

Jan. 14 at Colorado State 7 p.m.

Jan. 19 at Air Force 7 p.m.

Jan. 21 vs. UNLV 7 p.m.

Jan. 28 vs. TCU 1 p.m.

Feb. 1 at Wyoming 7 p.m.

Feb. 4 at New Mexico 4 p.m.

Feb. 8 vs. BYU 7 p.m.

Feb. 11 at San Diego St. Noon

Feb. 15 vs. Colorado St. 7 p.m.

Feb. 18 vs. Air Force 7 p.m.

Feb. 22 at UNLV 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 1 at TCU 9 p.m.

Mar. 4 Wyoming 7 p.m.

Mar. 7-10 MWC tourney TBA