Georgia Southern's football team has lost more than 3 scholarships and Mercer has lost one men's basketball scholarship because the teams didn't live up to NCAA standards for keeping their athletes in school and eligible to play.

Georgia Southern and Augusta State men's golf and Kennesaw State men's track also were among the 173 Division I teams that have lost scholarships. The NCAA announced the penalties Tuesday and warned 43 other teams, including Georgia State men's basketball, they must shape up academically or face penalties next year.

Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia exceeded the NCAA's minimum academic progress rate in every sport. The NCAA says its minimum progress rate suggests more than 50 percent of the athletes on each team will graduate.

Tech and Georgia's success was typical of schools in the power conferences. Only 18 of the 218 teams penalized or warned were from the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10.

South Carolina and Tennessee each lost a men's basketball scholarship. The only other SEC teams penalized were Tennessee baseball (1.17 scholarships) and men's swimming (.02 of a scholarship) and LSU baseball (.34 of a scholarship).

The only ACC team penalized was North Carolina State wrestling (.99 of a scholarship).

Other noteworthy penalties for schools in high-profile leagues: Washington State football (eight scholarships), Kansas football (two), Kansas State men's basketball (two), Southern California men's basketball (two), Seton Hall men's basketball (one), Purdue men's basketball (one) and Oklahoma State women's basketball (one).

The majority of the penalties and warnings went to lower-profile schools such as Cal State Sacramento, which led the nation with seven teams that ran afoul of the NCAA's academic standards.

Georgia Southern lost 3.51 football scholarships and .33 of a men's golf scholarship. Augusta State lost .23 of a men's golf scholarship, and Kennesaw State lost 1.26 men's track scholarships.

Unlike graduation rates, which are lagging indicators of a team's academic performance, the academic progress rate provides an up-to-date snapshot. Teams run afoul of the NCAA's academic progress rate if too many players transfer, drop out or lose their eligibility.