PITTSBURGH -- Syracuse will have to chase a national championship without starting center Fab Melo, who has been declared ineligible for the NCAA tournament.

The university announced Tuesday that the 7-foot Brazilian, who did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh for the second- and third-round games, won't take part in the tournament because of an eligibility issue. The school did not elaborate.

"Given University policy and federal student privacy laws, no further details can be provided at this time," the Syracuse website said.

Melo missed three games earlier this season -- including one of the top-seeded Orange's two losses -- because of an academic issue.

Melo was declared ineligible by Syracuse, not the NCAA, according to Bob Williams, the NCAA vice president of communications. Citing a source, ESPN.com had reported earlier that the NCAA had revisited Melo's previous suspension. Williams said that the NCAA deals only in an athlete's initial eligibility; once a player is on campus, his eligibility is the responsibility of the school.

Melo was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and made coach Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone defense a formidable one. He averaged 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and registered 88 blocks for the Orange, who spent a good portion of the season ranked No. 1 despite multiple off-court distractions.

Syracuse, given the top seed in the East Region, opens play at 3:10 p.m. ET Thursday against UNC Asheville (24-9), the Big South champion.

Coach Jim Boeheim said the Orange will be "ready to play."