March Madness 2012: Syracuse Players That Must Step Up in Fab Melo's Absence

Earlier this afternoon Syracuse released a statement explaining that star center Fab Melo would be ineligible for the tournament.

Despite the obvious crushing blow this is to the Orange’s hopes for a title run, Syracuse will need players to step up in a big way to cover for his absence.

The Orange have a few players that have made strides this season and could undoubtedly help push Syracuse past the tough competition that is set to come, but none have had as much impact as Melo.

Looking ahead for solutions, these four players have to step up in Melo’s absence.

C.J. Fair, F

C.J. Fair is a sophomore forward with the Orange. Fair is averaging 26.6 minutes on the floor per game, which is already on pace with what Fab Melo was offering to the Orange. Fair is also averaging 5.5 rebounds per game, which is also on pace with Melo.

Where Fair will need to pick up his game is in the blocked shots department. Melo was bringing in almost three blocked shots a game where Fair only averages close to one.

Granted, the two play different positions on the court, but with the lack of experience at the center position for the Orange behind Melo, guys like Fair will need to step up their overall performance.

Rakeem Christmas, F

Rakeem Christmas is another Orange forward that will need to pick up his overall play in the absence of Fab Melo. Christmas is only pulling in 10.3 minutes per game on average, so I would expect to see that increase markedly with the void left behind.

Christmas is already on pace to block nearly one shot a game on average but is lacking in the rebound department. At 2.6 boards a game, Christmas will need to increase his production under the basket.

Baye Keita, C

Baye Keita will be the replacement on the court for Fab Melo. He is only averaging a modest 11.6 minutes per game which is down from a year ago. It makes sense when you have a talent like Melo on the floor.

Keita will need to step his game up heavily, as he will need to increase his production across the board. Look for Keita to play tough inside the paint—doing his best to mimic the shot blocking, board grabbing phenom.

James Southerland, F

James Southerland is another Orange forward that will need to pick up his play in the absence of Melo. Southerland comes into the tournament averaging 15.8 minutes on the floor. Southerland has done well in the rebound department in his time, averaging three boards a game.

With only one other center on the roster, guys like Southerland will need to increase their aggressive presence on the inside to make up for the huge loss that comes with Melo’s ineligibility.  

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