Indianapolis ? The NCAA would scrap a rule prohibiting men’s and women’s basketball teams from playing in more than two exempt tournaments in a four-year period under a compromise reached Sunday by the Division I Management Council.

The proposal, one of about 140 heard during the NCAA convention, will be sent to member schools and conferences for comment before it is considered again in April, when the council will make its recommendation to the board of directors, said David Berst, NCAA Div. I vice president.

Under the plan, the two-in-four rule would be eliminated and schools would be allowed to participate in an event each year, but in the same event only once in four years.

It also would designate the second Friday in November as the common start date for events and the regular season. The total number of regular-season games would remain at 28, but participation in an exempt tournament – such as the Preseason NIT – would count as only one game.

In March, the NCAA bought the rights to the preseason and postseason NITs as part of a settlement that ended a four-year legal battle.

NCAA Division I Vice President David Berst discusses NCAA business during a news conference at the NCAA Convention. The convention concluded Sunday in Indianapolis.

“We’re now in a position where we can go forward on legislation to address the season,” Berst said. “What the Management Council decided to do was simply avoid talking about those pieces of legislation and took up a separate proposal. … It was something of a compromise proposal that we’ve developed over time to address the various issues we’ve encountered in the court cases.”

Kansas University, if the rule changes, is expected to try to land a slot in the Las Vegas Holiday Invitational that would include two home games and two games in Vegas, likely in December. The Guardians Classic, which also includes two home games and two in Kansas City, also would be on the Jayhawks’ future wish list.

The council passed almost 50 other proposals, defeated about 35 and deferred action on the rest until its April meeting.

Among those approved and forwarded to the board of directors was one to change the beginning and ending dates for baseball and keep the maximum number of regular-season games at 56 instead of cutting it to 52. A proposal to allow five seasons of football eligibility during a player’s initial five-year enrollment was withdrawn, and the number of recruiting person-days in women’s basketball was kept at 85 after votes on proposals to increase it to 105 and 130 were defeated.

Earlier Sunday, the head of the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Performance said football, baseball and men’s basketball appear to be the Div. I sports in greatest jeopardy of NCAA sanctions when the governing body releases an academic progress report next month.

Sports failing to meet NCAA standards for eligibility and progress toward graduation could lose scholarships for one year under the academic reform package approved by the NCAA two years ago.

Walter Harrison, chairman of academic performance, said about 55 percent of the member colleges and universities have completed the reporting. The remaining 45 percent are still requesting adjustments or waivers, and “we’re granting many more than we’re denying.”

The NCAA last month released its findings on graduation rates, and it reported 76 percent of Div. I athletes who entered college in 1995-96 had graduated. The separate academic progress report, expected by late February, will be based on the number of athletes on each team who achieve eligibility and return to campus full time each term.

Colleges will be given yearly assessments. They will be able to explain unusual circumstances for a low progress rate and to appeal any penalties.

“There seems to be no significant problems in women’s sports and nonrevenue sports,” Harrison said. “Football, men’s basketball and baseball seem to have the most penalties.”

He said individual schools that face penalties already have been notified, but they would not be identified until the complete progress rate list is finished. The penalties will begin this year and will result in the loss of a scholarship for teams that fail to meet the standard. Harsher penalties, beginning in 2007-08, will be assessed for repeated academic failure.