Syracuse's Fab Melo ruled ineligible for NCAA Tournament

The stunning news dropped a little before 2:30 eastern on Tuesday, when Syracuse announced with a 47-word press release that center Fab Melo was facing an eligibility issue and would not participate in the NCAA Tournament.

Those sounds you probably heard across the country moments later were brackets being erased, scribbled out or just crumpled up and tossed in the trash can as the No. 1 seed in the East Region lost one of its most indispensable players.

 

Syracuse’s vaunted zone worked so well this year because the 7-footer made a massive improvement in the offseason—he went from being lost as a raw freshman to the Big East’s defensive player of the year as a sophomore. Melo averaged 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, but his true value came with his shot-blocking ability—he averaged 2.9 blocks per game and altered countless others attempts and game plans.

His value was very evident in the first game he missed this season, when Syracuse had its 20-game winning streak snapped at Notre Dame.

One of the very few problems for Syracuse this season—teams that enter the NCAAs with a 31-2 record seldom have glaring flaws—has been the Orange’s propensity for allowing way too many offensive rebounds, and ensuing second-chance opportunities.

 Opponents grab an average of 38.9 percent of all available offensive rebounds against Syracuse, which is 341st in the country.

So, yeah, it’s an issue. Melo was, no doubt, part of the problem; for a 7-footer, he was just a decent defensive rebounder. In fact, the youngster that will likely get a large chunk of his minutes, freshman Rakeem Christmas, does a better job on the defensive boards., percentage-wise—17.9 to Melo’s 13.5. Of course, more minutes means more exposure for Christmas, and there’s a reason he’s played only an average of 10.3 minutes per game.

That weakness on the boards could be a huge problem very quickly, especially if the Orange faces No. 8 seed Kansas State in the round of 32.

 The Wildcats grab 40.6 percent of all available offensive rebounds, which ranks seventh in the country.

 Their athletic, big front line is a huge reason they were able to knock off Missouri twice in the regular season.

Also, the odds of Syracuse winning it all decreased.
"With the news that Fab Melo will not be playing for Syracuse in the tournament we had to make some small adjustments to our odds," Bovada.lv Sportsbook manager Kevin Bradley said. "Syracuse went from 10-1 to win the NCAA championship to 14-1."

You’ll rarely see a No. 1 seed be at such a significant statistical disadvantage in one particular area so early in the NCAA Tournament.

The statement:

“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.”