DETROIT -- Detroit Mercy's appeal of its postseason ban for men's basketball has been denied.
The university said Tuesday that its appeal to the NCAA had not been granted. The ban was because of the team's Academic Progress Rate.
The postseason ban applies to only this season. The school said the NCAA accepted its APR improvement plan and granted relief from further penalties starting with the 2020-21 season.
Detroit Mercy will not participate in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament.
Rival coach Greg Kampe of Oakland came to Detroit's defense on Twitter, calling on the NCAA to do away with the APR.
"You're punishing the kids at Detroit that had nothing to do with this. It's wrong," Kampe said. "Please fix it. Let those kids play!"