March Madness 2012: Fab Melo's Absence Dooms Syracuse's Final Four Hopes

The Syracuse Orange's Final Four hopes have taken a huge hit.

Per a release from the university's website, star center Fab Melo will miss the NCAA tournament due to an eligibility issue. He did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh.

Exactly why Melo is unable to participate in the tournament has not been disclosed due to student privacy laws. Whatever the reason, there's no denying that Melo will be sorely missed as the top-seeded Orange look to make a deep run through the NCAA tournament.

Melo was a big part of Syracuse's success this season, averaging 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. He's not an elite offensive player, but he's a key part of Syracuse's famed 2-3 zone defense. He's a true difference-maker at the defensive end of the floor.

The Orange are going to have some major adjustments to make now that they know they won't have Melo. Jim Boeheim is going to have to think of a way to account for Melo's absence on defense, which is going to be much easier said than done. Opponents are going to be far more willing to attack the rim now that they don't have to worry about getting around Melo. 

With their defense at less than full strength, the Orange are going to be at a considerable disadvantage. They're a team that needs to get stops and force turnovers in order to win games. They're going to have a much harder time doing that without Melo, and this will inevitably lead to more points allowed and fewer transition opportunities for Syracuse.

In short, Syracuse is not going to be able to play the game it likes to play.

Syracuse already was the most beatable No. 1 seed in the field with Melo in the picture. With him out of the picture, they're even more beatable.

If you had Syracuse going to the Final Four, it's not too late to change your bracket. The Orange aren't going that far.