The East region of the 2012 NCAA Tournament is home to the No. 1 Syracuse Orange and the No. 2 Ohio St. Buckeyes, but the former will be at a disadvantage without its top defender. Fab Melo was ruled ineligible for the entire NCAA Tournament due to academic issues. Will this prove too much for the Orange to overcome in their quest for a national title?
NCAA Tournament 2012 Schedule: Syracuse Begins Run In East Bracket Without Fab Melo
In the East region of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, the Syracuse Orange will be without Fab Melo. Will this allow the Ohio St. Buckeyes to eventually win and advance?
The only East region teams not playing Thursday are the No. 3 Florida St. Seminoles, the No. 6 Cincinnati Bearcats, the No. 11 Texas Longhorns and the No. 14 St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Here is the schedule for the East's matchups:
No. 8 Kansas St. Wildcats vs. No. 9 Southern Miss. Golden Eagles (truTV) - 12:40 p.m. ET
No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 13 Montana Grizzlies (TNT) - 2:10 p.m. ET
No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 16 UNC-Asheville Bulldogs (truTV) - after conclusion of Kansas State vs. Southern Miss
No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores vs. No. 12 Harvard Crimson (TNT) - after conclusion of Wisconsin vs. Montana
No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers (TNT) - 7:20 p.m. ET
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Loyola, Md. Greyhounds (TNT) - after conclusion of Gonzaga vs. West Virginia
For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation’s Selection Sunday StoryStream, and stick around SB Nation’s NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket, and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.
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