We’re only about a full month into the college basketball offseason, and it has already been quite busy. We’ve had coach terminations, firings, transfers, and now a postseason ban for a former Michigan State assistant coach.
Mark Montgomery and Detroit Mercy nearly qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season, but the up-and-coming program will face a one-year postseason restriction.
According to Tony Paul of The Detroit News, Montgomery and Detroit Mercy will be ineligible for postseason participation following the 2026-27 regular season due to missing the necessary APR.
What is APR? It stands for Academic Progress Rate, which assesses a program’s academic performance over a four-year period. The target score is 930, and anything lower is subject to NCAA penalties, which may include a postseason prohibition. It’s sort of crazy how other programs appear to get away with things, yet a Horizon League institution, which is unlikely to affect the national scene, receives a postseason ban.
Not extremely fair, especially since it is already difficult to recruit at smaller schools in the NIL and transfer portal era. Motivating a squad with a postseason ban cannot be simple.
According to reports, Detroit Mercy is not blaming Montgomery because he only took over two years ago. This is clearly something he will need to be aware of moving forward, since if your name is not Duke, Kentucky, or Michigan, you will receive more than a slap on the wrist for something as minor as this when more serious offenses are being committed.
It’s a bit of a bold decision by the NCAA, but not unexpected.
Mark Montgomery has initiated the turnaround.
Detroit Mercy only won one game during the 2023-24 season. Mercy earned eight victories in 2024-25, the year Montgomery took over. The Titans won 17 games in 2025-26, had a winning record in league and overall, and came close to qualifying for the NCAA Tournament — they lost in the Horizon League championship game by three points.
What Montgomery has been able to achieve in a short period of time at a program that appeared to be doomed is nothing short of miraculous.
Tom Izzo frequently gets chastised for his coaching tree not being as broad as those of some of his fellow college basketball superstars, but Montgomery is proving to be an outstanding one. Despite this infraction, Detroit is committed to him, and I am certain that he will find a way to use it as impetus for a run in 2027-28.
