UPDATED: March 13, 2012, 6:40 p.m.

Syracuse center Fab Melo will not take part in the NCAA Tournament, SU athletics announced in a news release on Tuesday. The sophomore did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh, and will not play due to an eligibility issue.

With two days before top-seeded Syracuse is set to take on No. 16 UNC Asheville on Thursday at 3:10 p.m. in Pittsburgh, the news is a crushing blow to the Orange’s NCAA Tournament title hopes.

Given university policy and federal student privacy laws, SU is unable to provide further detail on Melo’s absence, according to the release. Without Melo, Syracuse will likely use freshman Rakeem Christmas and sophomore Baye Keita at center.

Calls to Melo’s cellphone on Tuesday was not immediately returned.

Syracuse University declared Melo ineligible, not the NCAA, Erik Christianson, director of public and media relations for the NCAA, confirmed in an email. Eligibility decisions rest with individual institutions, Christianson said.

Melo missed three games earlier in the season due to an undisclosed academic issue. He did not play against Notre Dame, Cincinnati or West Virginia. Syracuse’s first loss of the season on Jan. 21 at Notre Dame came while Melo was out.

In the 30 games Melo played in this season, Melo averaged 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. He was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year on March 5.

Following the selection show on Sunday, Melo was among Syracuse players made available for media. He talked about how the Orange just has to be focused on winning when it gets to Pittsburgh.

‘We had two good days of practice,’ Melo said Sunday. ‘We’re looking forward to going there and having a good tournament.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on March 12, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr