SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The NCAA announced Tuesday that 77 percent of black mens Division I basketball players who entered college in 2009 earned a degree within six years, up five points from a year earlier and a record high.That improvement helped the overall Graduation Success Rate match last years record of 86 percent of athletes graduating within six years, the NCAA said. Of all black Division I student-athletes, 74 percent graduated within six years. NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a news release the improved rates were hugely significant.Over the last 15 years, the overall Graduation Success Rate has dramatically improved, but the really good news is how college sports helps more and more minority students, especially those playing our highest-profile sport, earn a degree that will help them long after their athletics career is over, he said.The graduation rate for black basketball players is up 31 percentage points over the past 15 years, the NCAA said . Overall, all black male athletes have increased their GSR by 19 percentage points to 70 percent during that time. Black female athletes improved their rate 13 points to 84 percent over that same time.For all Division I athletes, the rate increased 12 percentage points during the past 15 years.B. David Ridpath, an associate professor and sports business and president of The Drake Group, an NCAA watchdog, said the GSR provides only a partial picture, pointing to reports of athletes at North Carolina taking courses aimed at boosting their GPAs in a department popular with athletes.Are we essentially practicing eligibility maintenance, potentially in a major with friendly faculty? he said. Are these kids graduating with a very meaningful, vital degree that can benefit them for the next 50 to 60 years of their life? In some cases, yes, this is happening. But all too often -- and I know this because I worked in college athletics -- were essentially pushing these kids through, keeping them eligible and in cases where they do graduate they might not be graduating with the requisite skills.Among football teams in The Associated Press Top 25 , the only teams with a GSR 65 percent or lower were No. 25 Troy at 65 percent and No. 13 Oklahoma State at 50 percent. Among Top 25 mens basketball teams , No. 4 Oregon had a GSR of 38 percent, No. 25 California 40 percent, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 18 Syracuse and No. 24 Cincinnati all had GSRs of 50 percent, and No. 13 Michigan State has a GSR of 63 percent.The University of Connecticut mens basketball team had one of the lower graduation rates at 22 percent, according to the latest results. But those 2009 numbers were actually a big improvement over previous years. The teams GSR rose from just 8 percent in 2006, 17 percent the following year and 20 percent in 2008.School spokesman Mike Enright said the poor graduation rate reflects the same time period for which UConn was sanctioned by the NCAA and missed the 2013 postseason because of an another indicator, the Academic Progress Rate, which measures whether players are in good academic standing.The school has reported perfect or near perfect APR scores since 2012-13 and is expecting similar numbers this year, Enright said. He also said all current members of the basketball team are on track to graduate.The academic achievement of our mens basketball team has been outstanding the past several years and I have a full expectation that this will continue, athletic director David Benedict said.---AP Sports Writer Pat Eaton-Robb in Storrs, Connecticut, contributed to this report. Nike Roshe Clearance Mens . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Nike Roshe Sale Cheap . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. http://www.nikeroshediscount.com/ .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Cheap Roshe Shoes For Sale . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Nike Roshe One Sale . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana Hoosiers spent most of the last decade-plus winning shootouts.After a major offseason defensive overhaul, coach Kevin Wilson finally got the results he wanted and the Hoosiers have their first back-to-back bowl berths in a quarter century.Defenses win championships, you hear that all the time, linebacker Marcus Oliver said after Saturdays 26-24 victory gave Indiana that elusive sixth victory to become bowl-eligible. We play with that chip on our shoulder, and we play with that mindset that we have to win the game every game.At least they did this season.The improved play explains why the Hoosiers (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) managed to overcome five turnovers in a win at Rutgers and four turnovers Saturday against rival Purdue , games that in previous seasons may have been lost causes.But the revamped defense also proved it could hold up against some of the nations top teams.In a loss at No. 2 Ohio State, Indiana allowed 18 first downs and 383 total yards. The next week, at home, No. 10 Nebraska gained 360 yards in its 27-22 victory. Even No. 4 Michigans usually potent offense gained only 284 yards in a 20-10 victory on a snowy day in Ann Arbor.And the improvements are evident in almost every measurable area.From 2005-15, the Hoosiers yielded 34.1 points per game. This year, it was down to 27.3. In 2015, Indiana was at or near the bottom in almost every major defensive category.Though theyre not yet near the top of the conference in the major statisticcal categories, the progression under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen has been impressive.ddddddddddddIts better, Wilson said. I think were really encouraged but were not satisfied with where it is. I know Coach Allens comment (Saturday) was what it will take defensively to win the game and we were able to do that. Its a sign, again, we are a more complete team because of them.The good news is that many of this years starters are expected to return to school next season, which could make Indiana even better on defense. So will it be good enough for the program to take its next logical step -- winning a bowl game for the first time since beating Baylor 24-0 in the 1991 Copper Bowl?Indianas only other bowl wins came in the 1979 Holiday Bowl and the 1988 Liberty Bowl.They nearly ended the drought a year ago before falling 44-41 in overtime to Duke when Griffin Oakes tying field goal attempt was ruled no good after it appeared to sail over the top of the goal post.Now everyone in Bloomington seems to believe that the defense can win -- regardless of where or who the Hoosiers play next month.We rode them all season, receiver Mitchell Paige said. Coach Allen did a heck of a job and those guys really bought in and were flying around. They carried us all season.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . ' ' '