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Syracuse forward Chris McCullough will declare for the 2015 NBA Draft, according to a report this morning by RealGM.com.

The 6-foot-10-inch freshman averaged 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for the Orange this past season before tearing his ACL in January.

McCullough had been identified as a potential one-and-done player before the season began, but had stated in recent weeks that he planned to rehabilitate his knee and stay at SU for his sophomore season. His size and athleticism make him an intriguing pro prospect, but his court awareness was often questionable during the early part of SU's season.

McCullough is the second player to leave SU after only one season in as many years, as guard Tyler Ennis declared for the 2014 draft following his rookie campaign.

The Orange is expected to pull in one of the best recruiting classes in the country, with four players ranked in ESPN's Top 100, so McCullough's departure isn't a crippling blow the the Orange's chances. However, depth in the frontcourt is now a legitimate question with the graduation of ACC Most Improved Player Rakeem Christmas.

As Louisville and North Carolina State battled each other on the court, the Wolfpack’s Anthony “Cat” Barber and Louisville’s Terry Rozier were battling their own bodies. 

Both Barber and Rozier were significantly ill the night before and hours leading up to their clash in the East Regional semifinal at the Carrier Dome on Friday night. 

Barber, one of N.C. State’s potent backcourt shooters, showed violent symptoms of a stomach virus according to head coach Mark Gottfried. 

“Last night — it’s unfortunate these things happen, for whatever reason,” Gottfried said. “(Barber) gets a virus. He spends all last night throwing up, got diarrhea, can’t sleep, can’t eat. He had no energy today.” 

Barber shot 3-of-14 from the field and scored only eight points. 

Rozier, meanwhile, was spraying Afrin to breathe more easily during the game, but it didn't stop him from pulling down 14 rebounds (double that of teammate Montrezl Harrell) and helping the Cardinals surge to a 75-65 victory. 

“He had a terrible cold,” Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said. “All season long, Rozier has been a great rebounder, and tonight he’s got 14. So the surprise of March Madness… I look so forward to this time of year.” 

Get Soft? 

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo knew his team would have a lot of time to kill before tip time against Oklahoma Friday night. So while he was having breakfast with a couple of his captains, he suggested they watch film. 

But not game film. The new comedy film “Get Hard” starring Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart. 

“Will Ferrell had visited our place a few years ago,” Izzo said. “Last year, I sat with Kevin Hart at the UConn game.  So I said, ‘This could be a good omen.’ So they went. 

“I said, ‘If we lose, we’ll never do it again. If we win, hell, we might go to the movies tomorrow. I don’t know.’” 

Izzo stayed behind, but figured the lighthearted nature of the film would help his players stay loose for the game. He said in past tournaments, he felt me had mismanaged the team’s free time, and so he is re-evaluating ways to give the players more rest and his staff more time to work. 

It appeared the plan might backfire, as the Spartans fell behind in the first half with sluggish play. However, strong second halves by Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice propelled them to a win over the Sooners. 

“(The tournament) is tough on a player,” Izzo said. “I understand why. I tell them they can sleep all summer. Don’t worry about that.” 

Bahamas Buddies 

Michigan State’s tilt with Oklahoma was of key interest to residents in The Bahamas, as two hometown heroes took the court at the same time. 

The Sooners’ Buddy Hield and Spartans’ Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr. are from Freeport and Nassau, respectively. The pair became teammates and close friends at Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas) in 2011, and they continue to communicate via text. 

So when Nairn emerged victorious, Hield greeted him with a message in the post-game handshake line. 

“Go win it all,” Hield said. “I feel like since they beat us, we’re not the only team they can beat. So go win it all.” 

Hield said the exposure he received as Oklahoma’s leading scorer this season did a lot for aspiring Bahamian basketball players, and that he always tells them to keep working hard because anything is possible. 

Nairn has admitted that Hield often emerged victorious in their one-on-one battles at Sunrise, but that wasn’t exactly the case Friday. Despite scoring 21 points, Hield couldn’t lead the Sooners to victory. 

“We just made him take tough shots,” Nairn said. “I just tried to make it tough on him to score.”

Looking to be a part of this weekend's NCAA East Regional without having to break open your piggy bank?

Well then you're in luck.

On Thursday, practice for Friday's Sweet 16 games will be open with free admission at the Carrier Dome to all fans, including those without tickets to the rest of the "Madness." Gates open to the public at 11 a.m., with practices beginning at noon.

Each of the four teams competing (North Carolina State, Louisville, Michigan State and Oklahoma) will take the court for 50 minutes throughout the afternoon. The schedule is as follows:

12:00-12:50 North Carolina State

1:00-1:50 Michigan State

2:10-3:00 Louisville

3:10-4:00 Oklahoma

Concessions and merchandise stands will be also be open for fans to purchase food, drink and tournament gear. Those commuting to campus can park for free at Skytop and shuttle over to the Dome.

Louisville and N.C. State will square off Friday at 7:37 p.m., with Oklahoma and Michigan State to directly follow. The winners of both games will play each other on Sunday for the East Regional championship and a berth in next weekend's Final Four in Indianapolis.

Check back with The NewsHouse all throughout the weekend for continuing coverage of the tournament.

For the second-straight season, Syracuse reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament thanks to a tight victory over Nebraska on Friday.

But that would once again be as far as the Orange could surge.

Despite hanging with South Carolina earlier in the season, SU fell behind early and never recovered in a 97-68 drubbing at the hands of the top-seeded Gamecocks. The Orange finishes the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 22-10.

"We played hard the entire game," SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "That's how we do it at Syracuse. We compete the whole game. I thought our kids gave it everything they had. I give them a lot of credit. They gave it everything they had."

Alexis Peterson scored 23 points to lead the Orange, which quickly found itself with a huge deficit thanks to a 42-18 run by South Carolina to close the first half.

SU recovered out of the break, shooting 43 percent from the field, but simply couldn't stop the Gamecock offense. Six South Carolina players scored in double figures, including three off the bench.

Cornelia Fondren added 16 points for SU, while Brianna Butler scored 12 in 29 minutes of play.

Syracuse returns all but two players to its lineup next season, the team's third in the Atlantic Coast Conference.