CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) Clemson's men's basketball team may have had an improved year on the court, but now, they need one in the classroom.<br>
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The men's team checked in with a weighted 1.86 grade-point average for the fall semester, Clemson's athletic department said in its academic report released Thursday.<br>
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The men's basketball team had the lowest GPA of any of Clemson's 15 teams and the only one below 2.00 generally considered a C-average. The team was 16-16 under second-year coach Oliver Purnell, reaching the NIT this month after not making the postseason since 1998-99.<br>
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And the team's academic problems came despite having two of their guards, Cliff Hammonds and Shawan Robinson, on the honor roll for the semester.<br>
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On the plus side, Clemson's women's swim team had a 3.36 grade-point average, tops in the department. It was the 11th-straight semester the team had a GPA higher than 3.0.<br>
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Men's swimming had a 3.04 GPA, its fourth-straight semester it was better than a 3.0.<br>
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Other teams above a B-average 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 included women's soccer (3.27), women's tennis (3.07), volleyball (3.00) and rowing (3.00).<br>
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Clemson's baseball finished with a 2.95 GPA, the highest in team history.<br>
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The rest of Clemson fall grades were football (2.15), men's golf (2.37), men's soccer (2.88), men's tennis (2.43), men's track and field (2.42), women's basketball (2.39) and women's track and field (2.79).<br>
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The team grades were compiled by the Clemson University Office of Institutional Research and Planning.<br>
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The school said this report reflected a change in methodology. Previously, the athletes grades were added together and divided by the number of athletes on the team. These grades, the school said, were weighted to reflect the sum of credit-hours attempted divided by the semester grade points earned.<br>
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(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
