While black players often lead their NCAA Division I basketball teams on the court, a study released Monday shows that they don’t enjoy the same kind of lead when it comes to getting diplomas from college.

In an analysis of the teams invited this year to the NCAA Big Dance, 33 of the schools graduated at least 70 percent of their white men's basketball players; only 19 graduated that many black players. At least 50 percent of white players earned degrees at 45 schools, but black athletes had that much success at only 36 schools.

The study was conducted by Richard Lapchick, head of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. It evaluated four different freshman classes for a period beginning in 1997-98 and ending with 2000-01. Though the players evaluated are no longer on campus, the report intends to provide a snapshot of academic trends.

“There is positive academic news for the tournament teams when we examine the graduation success rates. However, the ongoing and significant disparity regarding the academic success between African-American and white men’s basketball student-athletes is deeply troubling,” Lapchick said in a prepared statement. “Higher education’s greatest failure is the persistent gap between African-American and white basketball student-athletes in particular and students in general. The good news there is that the gaps are narrowing slightly.”

North Carolina was the only school among the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA men's tournament to graduate at least 50 percent of its players. The report found that 86 percent of Tar Heels men's players earned diplomas during a six-year period. The other top seeds were far worse: 45 percent at Kansas and 40 percent at UCLA and Memphis.

The study found that the achievement gap was shrinking. At 34 percent of tournament-bound teams, there was a 30-point or greater difference in graduation success between black and white players, down from 49 percent last year. Black players continued to succeed in higher rates than black non-athletes.

According to the report, 53 percent of black male basketball student-athletes graduate, compared with 37 percent of black male non-athletes at the same schools.

NCAA data shows that graduation rates for black men's basketball players have improved 14 percent overall since 1984.

"We've seen some real improvement over time," NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said. "There's always room for more improvement, but we're pleased with the progress."

The NCAA tournament field is 65 teams, but not all could be included in the analysis. Cornell, like other Ivy League schools, doesn't report graduation rates. Gonzaga had no black players, and 10 schools had no white athletes.

Two of the No. 2 seeds, Tennessee and Texas, graduated only 33 percent of their players for the period studied. The other second seeds, Georgetown and Duke, had success rates of 82 percent and 67 percent, respectively.

If the Final Four were determined academically, it would be Western Kentucky (100 percent graduation success), Butler (92 percent), Notre Dame (91 percent) and Purdue (91 percent). Xavier, a No. 3 seed, was close behind, with a 90 percent success rate.

“In spite of the fact that the gaps are closing, race remains a continuing academic issue, reflected in the remaining substantial gaps between graduation rates for white and African-American student-athletes,” Lapchick said. “Too many of our predominantly white campuses are not welcoming places for students of color, whether or not they are athletes.”