Syracuse Star Fab Melo Ineligible for NCAA Tournament

The already tough prospect of facing a field of hungry teams gets all the more difficult as the Syracuse Orange will have to play the NCAA tournament without Fab Melo. 

UPDATE: Tuesday, March 13th, 3:55 p.m. ET

ESPN reports Melo is being deemed ineligible for academic reasons. 

The reports cites a source that told ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil the following: 

"

This is an academic issue related to the first suspension. He was initially cleared after the first suspension but the NCAA has since revisited the case and deemed him ineligible again.

"

The official website of Syracuse Orange athletics reports Fab Melo will not play in the tournament due to eligibility issues. 

Here is the statement in full: 

"

Syracuse University sophomore men's basketball center Fab Melo did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh, and will not take part in the NCAA Tournament due to an eligibility issue. Given University policy and federal student privacy laws, no further details can be provided at this time.

"

Syracuse is a No. 1 seed out of the East Region and the news will no doubt hit the team hard.

What It Means

Fab Melo had been hit with ineligibility once this season for academic reasons. There is no reason to speculate why he is ineligible this time around, because the bigger issue is Syracuse entering the tournament without its big man in the paint. 

The Orange should still get past UNC Asheville, but the big tests would come immediately following the opening-round game. 

The big presence in the middle who averaged 2.9 blocks per game will be absent at the most crucial time of the season.  

What's Next?

That is the big issue as this news couldn't have come at a worse time. Syracuse has had its resilience tested all season, with academic issues and the Bernie Fine allegations. 

Now the Orange head into a fierce battle against an East Region that is filled with hungry teams that could contend with a fully staffed Syracuse squad. 

You now have to look at teams like Vanderbilt and Kansas State possibly getting to the Orange long before the Final Four. 

Syracuse was already playing shaky ball with a near loss to UConn and a defeat at the hands of the red-hot Cincinnati Bearcats. 

Despite all the tumult, Syracuse has put together a fantastic season and will now have one more tremendous test in their search for another NCAA tournament title. 

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