SYRACUSE -- Syracuse sophomore center Fab Melo is not expected to play against West Virginia on Saturday, what would be his third straight missed game because of a reported academic issue.
SU Athletics says there has been no official decision, but an SU spokesman has confirmed with ESPN’s Andy Katz that Jim Boeheim has said Melo’s situation is taking longer than expected to resolve.
That same source has told Katz that the academic issue happened in the first semester. SU cannot provide any details because of federal student privacy laws.
The #4 ranked Orange, of course, lost their first game of the season against Notre Dame last Saturday, the first game that Melo missed. Melo also sat out of Monday night’s win over the Cincinnati Bearcats. He is averaging over 7 points and 5 rebounds a game, and usually plays over 20 minutes per game.
Syracuse's next game after the Mountaineers is against St. John's on February 4th.
