The University of Minnesota continues to build on its upward trend of the graduation of its athletes, but it still lags behind other Big Ten schools in football and men's basketball, according to data released by the NCAA on Tuesday.

The most recent numbers are from students who either entered as freshmen in 2004 or transferred to Minnesota between 2001 and 2004.

Minnesota's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) -- which does not penalize a school for students who transfer out but accounts for students that transfer in -- has improved from 67 percent in 2005 to 80 percent now, the highest number for the school since the NCAA started releasing GSR figures six years ago.

"Academic success and degree-completion are essential elements of the student-athletic experience, and I am pleased that our overall GSR continues to rise," Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi said.

Women's sports continue to lift the school's average, with 10 of 11 women's sports posting a graduation percentage of 80 or higher (women's basketball was the outlier at 70 percent). Men's basketball (43 percent) is one point up from last year and has more than doubled from six years ago. Football (59 percent) made less dramatic gains but has improved steadily since 2005.

But the graduation rates for football and men's basketball still lag 10 and 25 points behind the national averages, respectively. In the Big Ten, Gophers football is tied with Purdue in last place and men's basketball is last. With all sports factored in, Minnesota is ninth in the Big Ten.

"We need to do a better job by recruiting people that are a better fit," Maturi said. "Sure, you want to see more. Two more points [overall] would have gotten us in the middle of the Big Ten, which isn't bad. It's not like we're way, way down. It's the situation where we're not where we want to be and we're working on it."

Maturi said he believes his current coaches -- Jerry Kill in football and Tubby Smith in men's basketball, neither of whom were at Minnesota in 2004 -- represent "a positive" in helping to close the gap with the rest of the Big Ten.

"I think it begins with the recruit initially. I think it begins with our academic support staff, which I think is the best it's been since I've been here," Maturi said. "It obviously also is emphasized with the coaches."