The # 4 Orange may have improved to 22-1 on the season, but many questions came out of Saturday's 63-61 win over West Virginia. Why weren't the three pointers going down for Syracuse? Should there have been a goaltending call on SU in the final seconds? When will Fab Melo be able to play again? The biggest concern, however, for head coach Jim Boeheim was the fact that the Orange were out-rebounded 36-20. Boeheim admits rebounding has been a concern for him all year, but has become a bigger problem over the last few games.
"It is not the center position," explains Boeheim, "everyone is going to look at that, but Fab was averaging six rebounds a game against the other positions. Our defensive guards have to get some rebounds. It is really about our guards and forwards doing a better job rebounding the ball."
"We do need to get more rebounds," admits SU sophomore Dion Waiters, "It's our job to go down there and battle and get rebounds. We are all big guards so we have to go help the big guys with Fab being out."
There's still no word on when Melo might return from a reported academic issue, although Boeheim says he hopes to know sometime this upcoming week. In the meantime the Orange are doing their best to get used to a different feel to the game without him.
"We are totally different," says senior guard Scoop Jardine, "no one can deny that at all. But we can be there to try and get out on them. We have two wins without him. But with Fab we are rebounding and blocking shots and we become a much better defensive team."
The Orange will play St. John's next as Madison Square Garden this Saturday.
