Football, men’s basketball only UK teams below 3.0 in fall GPA

In a surprising departure, men’s basketball had the worst team grade-point average in Kentucky’s athletic department in the just-concluded fall semester.

UK released the grade-point averages Thursday. Counting walk-ons and scholarship players, John Calipari’s team had an 2.547 GPA. The scholarship players had a GPA of 2.418.

Calipari regularly touts his teams’ performances in the classroom. The media guide for the 2016-17 season says that Calipari’s teams had a GPA of 3.0 or better in seven of the 11 most recent semesters.

UK’s football team was the only other UK team with a GPA of less than 3.0 in the fall semester. Coach Mark Stoops’ team had an overall GPA of 2.655. The scholarship players had a GPA of 2.531.

The women’s tennis team had the best GPA: 3.653. The next-best team GPA came in women’s cross country: 3.597. The top men’s team was golf, at 3.540.

Overall, UK’s athletes had a GPA of 3.160. Eighteen of UK’s 20 teams had a GPA of 3.0 or better.

It was the ninth straight semester that UK athletes achieved an overall GPA of 3.0 or better.

“Our students continue to excel in the classroom, taking advantage of the opportunities they have to grow both academically and athletically,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said in a news release. “Academics are central to our mission here at UK, and I’m proud this level of achievement has become the norm. I want to congratulate our students for their dedication.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Football, men’s basketball only UK teams below 3.0 in fall GPA."