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Syracuse guard Malachi Richardson attacks toward the basket during a Final Four game against North Carolina on Saturday, April 2, 2016, at NRG Stadium in Houston.

(Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com)

Houston — Syracuse guard Malachi Richardson sat in front of his locker with a towel draped over his head, the most visibly upset of the Syracuse players after SU's season came to a close in an 83-66 loss to North Carolina in the Final Four.

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Just minutes removed from the end of his first season, Richardson was, quite naturally, in no mood to discuss whether there will be a second.

"I'm not answering any questions about going into the NBA Draft yet," Richardson said, politely but sternly.

Without an answer, Richardson's future will remain a pressing question, perhaps the major question, that Syracuse basketball followers will want answered over the next few weeks.

Richardson has been largely absent from mock drafts for most of the season, and ESPN's Chad Ford currently ranks him No. 77 on his Big Board, well outside the range where players are normally considered likely to enter the NBA.

Late-season heroics, however, frequently generate attention and Richardson flashed the guts to take over big games late in Syracuse's season, scoring 21 points in a first-round win over Dayton and then 21 points in the second half of an Elite Eight win over Virginia, thoroughly dominating Malcolm Brogdon, a player considered to be the ACC's best defender. During an 83-66 loss to North Carolina he scored 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting but he struggled in the first half, when the Tar Heels built up an early lead.

Adjusted NBA Draft rules make it more likely that Richardson — and any other talented underclassman — will declare for the NBA Draft this season.

The deadline for underclassmen to remove their names from the NBA Draft has been pushed back this year, allowing invited players to attend the NBA combine and spend 10 days working out for NBA teams. After that, they can still return to school as long as they have not signed with an agent. They can do that every year.

Previously, players could only declare for the draft twice, and the deadline to remove their names came before combines and individual workouts. The new rules, essentially, allow the players to experience the process and make a better-informed decision.

While the new rules make it more likely that Richardson will declare for the NBA Draft, they also make it more likely that players who do declare will ultimately return to school.

At Kentucky, for instance, coach John Calipari has said every player, including the walk-ons,will declare for the NBA Draft, despite many knowing they will likely return.

While Richardson declined to discuss his plans, he said his offseason focus will be to improve his consistency and he used the language of a player excited about Syracuse's future.

"We're going to be good and it's going to be scary," Richardson said. "We're going to come back next year and we're going to be ready."