Syracuse defensive star ruled ineligible

Syracuse will have to chase a national championship without starting center Fab Melo, declared ineligible for the NCAA tournament. Syracuse announced Tuesday that Melo, a 7-foot Brazilian, who did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh for the second- and third-round games, would not take part in the tournament due to an eligibility issue. The school did not elaborate. Melo missed three games this season -- including one of the top-seeded Orange's two losses -- because of an academic issue. NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said Syracuse, not the NCAA, declared Melo ineligible. Coach Jim Boeheim said the Orange would be "ready to play." As he left the bus in front of the team hotel Tuesday, Boeheim at first said he had nothing to say. He then told the Associated Press that "all we can do is be ready to play with the guys we have." "That's all we can do," he said. "There are injuries, things happen during a season. We'll be ready to play, and we'll go play." Boeheim had not decided who would start in place of Melo, the Big East defensive player of year, on Thursday when Syracuse (31-2) opens against No. 16 seed North Carolina-Asheville. Sophomore Baye Keita or freshman Rakeem Christmas should get the start. Melo's sudden ineligibility made waves in Las Vegas, where Cantor Gaming dropped Syracuse's chances of winning the title to 12-1 from 10-1 Tuesday morning, said Mike Colbert, Cantor's risk management director. Colbert said the region's No. 2 seed, Ohio State, was lifted to 5-1 from 6-1, and other lines were affected. Syracuse went from a 16 1/2-point favorite against UNC-Asheville to a 15 1/2-point favorite. NCAA First Four BYU 78, Iona 72: At Dayton, Ohio, Noah Hartsock scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half as the Cougars (26-8) rallied from a 25-point deficit. BYU will play Marquette on Thursday in Louisville. Iona (25-8) is 0-9 in the NCAA tournament. Western Kentucky 59, Mississippi Valley State 58: T.J. Price's three-point play with 33 seconds left completed Western Kentucky's furious rally in Dayton. President Barack Obama and British prime minister David Cameron had front-row seats. The Hilltoppers (16-18) overcame a 16-point deficit in the final 5 minutes and will play Kentucky on Thursday in Louisville. MVSU finished 21-13. WNIT: Detroit Mercy and Central Michigan received bids to the WNIT. The Titans (20-13) will play at defending WNIT champion Toledo (21-9) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Chippewas (20-15) will play at Illinois State (18-12) at 8:05 p.m. Thursday.