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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's basketball team was recognized as one of the top men's basketball programs in The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports' (TIDES) 2021 Brains and Diversity study, advancing to the "Sweet 16" in the study by graduate students in the University of Central Florida's Sport Business Graduate Program.
 
This study looked at the APR and GSR metrics of all 2021 basketball tournament teams, any gap between the GSR of white and African-American student-athletes, and the demographics of the head coaches. If the selection committee were to follow the recommended reseedings based on this criteria, UNCG would have been among the top four men's seeds.
 
For UNCG, this was an amazing achievement since the Spartans excel on the court and in the classroom, embodying the true definition of a "student-athlete."
 
This study also compared the graduation rate data of white and Black male and female basketball student-athletes. Finally, it compared graduation rates and academic progress for Division I teams that had been selected to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Because of the academic success and diversity, the Spartans were a No. 3 seed in the study's South Region bracket and advanced to the "Sweet 16."
 
UNCG enjoyed a special season by winning 21 games, claiming the SoCon Tournament championship, participating in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four years, and finishing ranked 12th in the final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll. This was the fifth consecutive season with at least 20 wins for the Spartans, who are 125-43 (.749) since the start of the 2016-17 season.
 
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport ("TIDES" or the "Institute") serves as a comprehensive resource for is­sues related to gender and race in amateur, collegiate and professional sport.
 
"It has been an unprecedented time since the pandemic initially disrupted our globe," Dr. Richard Lapchick said. "Although we have returned, it's paramount that we not lose sight of the importance of academic achievement in addition to diversity, equity and inclusion regarding head coach hiring. With schools across the country facing budgetary constraints, we cannot compromise success in the classroom for success on the hardwood.
 
"This study serves to underline the importance of academic success and highlight those teams who are setting the standard and those who are lagging behind. Ultimately, we discovered that many of the anticipated tournament favorites fell in seeding based on how they performed in the classroom and in their hiring practices."
 
The Institute researches and publishes a variety of studies, including annual studies of student-athlete graduation rates and racial attitudes in sport as well as the internationally recognized Racial and Gender Report Card, an assessment of hiring practices in professional and college sport. The Institute also monitors some of the critical ethical issues in college and professional sport, including the po­tential for exploitation of student-athletes, gambling, perfor­mance-enhancing drugs and violence in sport. For more information on TIDES, visit https://www.tidesport.org.