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UNC AD: On-field success ‘overshadowed’ by academic case

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2011 file photo, Bubba Cunningham smiles during a news conference after being introduced as the new athletic director at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC is poised for another top-10 national finish among overall college sports programs after a season in which 25 of 28 teams competed in postseason play. But in an interview with The Associated Press, Cunningham said that success "has been overshadowed" by the school's long-running academic fraud case. UNC faces five NCAA charges in case Cunningham said "will come to closure" in 2016. (Shawn Rocco/The News & Observer via AP, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2011 file photo, Bubba Cunningham smiles during a news conference after being introduced as the new athletic director at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC is poised for another top-10 national finish among overall college sports programs after a season in which 25 of 28 teams competed in postseason play. But in an interview with The Associated Press, Cunningham said that success "has been overshadowed" by the school's long-running academic fraud case. UNC faces five NCAA charges in case Cunningham said "will come to closure" in 2016. (Shawn Rocco/The News & Observer via AP, File) FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2011 file photo, Bubba Cunningham smiles during a news conference after being introduced as the new athletic director at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. UNC is poised for another top-10 national finish among overall college sports programs after a season in which 25 of 28 teams competed in postseason play. But in an interview with The Associated Press, Cunningham said that success "has been overshadowed" by the school's long-running academic fraud case. UNC faces five NCAA charges in case Cunningham said "will come to closure" in 2016. (Shawn Rocco/The News & Observer via AP, File)

By Associated Press 1 min read

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina earned another high finish among college sports programs after a season of strong tournament showings. The Tar Heels are also wrapping up yet another year of off-field issues, including an NCAA investigation into academics.

UNC finished fifth in the final Directors’ Cup Division I standings released on Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, athletic director Bubba Cunningham cited high points in a 2014-15 season that included 25 of 28 teams competing in postseason play and an overall 2.96 GPA for athletes. But he also knows the school is likely a year away from resolution in an academic fraud scandal that has “overshadowed” on-field successes.

The NCAA hit UNC with five charges last month, and the school must respond by Aug. 18. UNC also faces a year of probation from its accreditation agency.