NCAA Scores 2012: Syracuse's Scoop Jardine Will Carry Orange to Final Four

Upon further reflection, Syracuse isn't doomed without Fab Melo after all. The No. 1 seeded Orange are still capable of dominating.

With their 75-59 win over Kansas State in the round of 32, senior guard Scoop Jardine is more than capable of picking up the slack created by the Melo void.

While the two players fill completely different roles for the team, Jardine's role is big enough that it can mask many things. 

Jardine is the Orange's point guard, and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim tells us himself how important this position is. Here is Boeheim as quoted by Tony Adame of The Wichita Eagle: 

"

I haven’t coached a lot of teams that didn’t have a good point guard. You could have a good small forward, a good power forward and a good center…but you won’t win without a good point guard, unless your shooting guard is Michael Jordan.

"

Given this, it was no surprise that Syracuse barely survived by squeaking out a 72-65 win in their opening game. That is largely due to the fact that Jardine struggled. He turned it on a bit in the second half, but was off in the first. 

He finished with a solid stat line of 11 points and seven assists, but was off with his shot and finished 3-8 from the field. 

He was much improved in their second game, and Syracuse looked like a different team. In the win over Kansas State, Jardine had 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds. He was also 5-for-9 from the field. 

These numbers are well above his season averages of 8.3 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. 

Jardine is showing that he has the ability to rise to the occasion, and that is exactly what the Orange need. 

While Melo's absence is most greatly felt on the defensive end, the Orange can make up for that by running a more dynamic and efficient offense. That is exactly what Jardine can lead them to. Not only can he add the scoring, but he can set up his teammates for easy looks. 

Also, Melo was the Orange's leading rebounder, and Jardine has obviously made it a point to contribute more on the boards. This is what good senior leaders are supposed to do in big games, and that is exactly what Jardine is in the process of doing.