By Garrett Miley, National Desk Peruse the Syracuse roster and you’ll see talent from top to bottom with names like Michael Carter-Williams, CJ Fair, and James Southerland. One name you won’t see this season is Fab Melo. After academic issues, the former Syracuse big man decided to turn pro and enter the NBA draft following last season. Melo never...
By Garrett Miley, National Desk
Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams walks on the court with Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim during practice the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game against Michigan, Friday, April 5, 2013, in Atlanta. Syracuse plays Michigan in a semifinal game on Saturday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Peruse the Syracuse roster and you’ll see talent from top to bottom with names like Michael Carter-Williams, CJ Fair, and James Southerland. One name you won’t see this season is Fab Melo.
After academic issues, the former Syracuse big man decided to turn pro and enter the NBA draft following last season. Melo never made it to the Final Four during his two-year stint at Syracuse, partially because of those academic issues, which made his ineligible for the NCAA tournament last year.
He’s spent most of this past season in the league’s developmental league for the Maine Red Claws. Chris Carlson of The Post-Standard has more:
While Dave Matthews and Ludacris play in Atlanta as part of the weekend's festivities, the hottest tickets in Erie are to see country singer Justin Moore and opening weekend for the minor league baseball team.
Erie is a far cry from Atlanta, a different world than the Final Four.
"I wanted to play in the Final Four, of course I wanted to," Melo said. "I wanted to play in the tournament. It just didn't happen. I moved on. Let it go. Got to let it go. My life is playing professional basketball now."
» While the Michigan Wolverines are known to be a more high octane offensive attack than the Orange this season, Mike Waters of The Post-Standard says there is one Syracuse player to keep your eye on this weekend:
Michael Carter-Williams had two incredible games at the NCAA East Regional in Washington, D.C. In the Sweet 16 against Indiana, Carter-Williams scored a career-high 24 points. He also had four steals and only one turnover. In SU's Elite Eight game against Marquette, Carter-Williams had 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists, five steals and, again, just one turnover.
Syracuse forward James Southerland practices for a second-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Syracuse plays Montana on Thursday. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
And while Syracuse’s zone gets all of the attention, Donna Diota of The Post-Standard says that the offensive attack of the Orange is key to taking down Michigan:
But lost in all the zone obsession is the idea that Syracuse will need to score points against the Wolverines when the teams meet at approximately 8:49 p.m. Saturday in the Georgia Dome.
Michigan ranks No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency in Ken Pomeroy’s advanced stats. The Wolverines shoot 49 percent from the floor and 39 percent from 3-point range. In their four NCAA Tournament games, they have outscored their opponents by an average score of 79-63. To put that into perspective, Syracuse, in its four-game NCAA Tournament ride, has outscored opponents by an average score of 66-46.
“Obviously being able to score is going to be paramount, especially against a good offensive team,” SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins said. “They score a lot and they’ve got good shooters.”
» Bud Poliquin’s story on how former Syracuse star guard and now assistant coach Gerry McNamara has watched endless Michigan game tape gives some insight to the sleepless nights of Final Four coaching staffs:
Asked how much sleep he’d gotten as a result of his video overload, McNamara sort of shrugged.
“I have my son with me now, too,” he responded, referencing Little Gerry, a toddler. “So not a whole bunch.”
Nevertheless, McNamara pressed on because NCAA Tournament responsibilities trump slumber every time.
“It’s a combination of everything,” he said. “I’ll give initial impressions. Then the assistant coaches and I will get together and talk and go over a game plan, and they’ll relay the messages I was able to take in the film and convey it to their groups. Then I relay my information to my guards. And all this stuff funnels back to Coach (Jim Boeheim). It’s not information overload. It’s just what we need to do.”
» The return of James Southerland just before the tournament sparked Syracuse’s postseason run. His three point shooting gives his team a much needed dimension, especially against the high powered Wolverines. His teammates have more on that and some of the matchups against Michigan: