[LeeCoUKFan]

Despite earning a No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA tournament, Syracuse now faces an uphill battle in its quest for a national title.

Bilas: Well, This Changes Things

The Orange (31-2) announced on their website Tuesday that sophomore center Fab Melo will not participate in the tournament due to an "eligibility issue."

"Given University policy and federal student privacy laws, no further details can be provided at this time," the site said.

Melo was held out of three games earlier this season while he resolved an academic issue. Syracuse went 2-1 during that absence.

Melo was declared ineligible by Syracuse, not the NCAA, according to Bob Williams, the NCAA vice president of communications. Citing a source, ESPN.com had reported earlier that the NCAA had revisited Melo's previous suspension. Williams said that the NCAA only deals in an athlete's initial eligibility; once a player is on campus, his eligibility is the responsibility of the school.

Melo, a 7-footer, was the Big East defensive player of the year and made coach Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone defense a formidable one. He averaged 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and registered 88 blocks for the Orange, who spent a good portion of the season ranked No. 1 despite multiple off-court distractions.

Syracuse, given the top seed in the East Region, opens play at 3:10 p.m. ET Thursday in Pittsburgh against UNC Asheville (24-9), the Big South champion.

Boeheim says the Orange will be "ready to play" without Melo, who did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh for its second- and third-round games.

As he left the bus in front of the team hotel Tuesday, Boeheim at first said he nothing to say. He then told The Associated Press that "all we can do is be ready to play with the guys we have."

Boeheim has not decided who will start in Melo's place.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketba...le-tourney