The sophomore center did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh and will sit out the entire tournament due to eligibility issues
Syracuse starting center Fab Melo will not participate in the NCAA Tournament and did not travel with his teammates to Pittsburgh for the first round, accroding to SUAthletics.com.
The Big East Tournament has its final four teams ready to battle in primetime with the semifinals tonight in Madison Square Garden, followed by the championship on Saturday night. That’s the good news. The bad news is Friday’s action will be the day fans remember.
The Big East tournament is alive and kicking. Syracuse, Villanova, and Pittsburgh, three of the top four seeds are home resting for the Big Dance. So what's left?
Turnovers, defensive woes and a worrying injury troubled the one-seeded Syracuse Orange as they fell to eighth seed Georgetown in the Big East tournament quarterfinals, 91-84.
Two kinds of fans filled Madison Square Garden this afternoon. Half wore Orange, and stood in stunned silence. The other half wore just about anything else, and cheered as loud as they could for the top seed to fall. They got their wish.
Six minutes into the second half, Syracuse watched their lead dwindle from a game high nine points, to one point in under two minutes. And with a 2-point field goal by Vee Sanford, Georgetown took the lead and never lost it.
Seniors Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins play final game in Carrier Dome, first as nation’s No. 1 team.
Fifth-year seniors Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins stepped onto the Carrier Dome floor for the last time of their college careers, yet the night was as much about firsts as finales.
Onuaku and Rautins strutted onto Jim Boeheim Court for the first time as members of the number one team in the country. And it was their first time walking off as outright Big East regular season champions.
It was an offensive battle against the Friars on Tuesday night, but the Orange defense came out on top.
Led by Rick Jackson and Andy Rautins in a rallying, offensive shootout against Providence on Tuesday night, the No. 4 Syracuse Orange shut it down in a 99-85 win. Both players scored 28-points, a season-high for Rautins and a new career-high for Jackson.
The Orange recovered from an eight-point deficit to beat the feisty Friars and reach their highest point total in the Big East this season. The win also earned them a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the upcoming Big East tournament.
Offensive woes give Syracuse its second loss of the season in a 66-60 Valentine's Day defeat by Louisville.
For the second straight game, the Orange took an early double-digit lead, then squandered it in the final minutes. This time, they couldn’t recover.
“You can’t be in all these games and get down to the end and think you’re going to win,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “You’ve got to play better during the game and tonight offensively we just were not good. And I think that’s the bottom line.”
Kris Joseph and Arinze Onuaku lead No. 3 Syracuse to a 22-1 record and the team's best start ever with an 85-68 win over Providence.
Prized Syracuse forward Wesley Johnson went down hard to the floor eight minutes into the first half, but the story of the night was reserved for the flight of a sophomore standout and senior staple.
Kris Joseph scored a career-high 23 points and Arinze Onuaku added a season-best 20 as the Orange squashed the Providence Friars 85-68 to improve to a school-best 22-1 record.
“A.O. was the most active he’s been all year,” SU Coach Jim Boeheim said. “He hasn’t been having the kind of year we need from him."
Syracuse dominates offensively and defensively to defeat the South Florida Bulls, 82-65
It was a one-man game for the University of South Florida in their fight against the Orange on Sunday afternoon in the Carrier Dome. However, Dominic Jones’ game-high 30 points were not enough to stop Syracuse from controlling the game. Wes Johnson led the team to an 82-65 victory, with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
The freshman sensation has a coming-out party with a career-high 27 points.
A tired Oakland Golden Grizzlies team was no match for a fast-paced Orange team led by a career performance from freshman Brandon Triche.
Tuesday night’s matchup with the Rochester, Michigan-based Grizzlies displayed SU’s ability to take advantage of a drained and less talented team. It was also a coming out party for Triche, who scored a season and career-high 27 points.