The odds of Fab Melo playing tomorrow when the Syracuse Orange take on the West Virginia Mountaineers don't look too good. But...no one can say for sure.

ESPN reported earlier today that, "according to a Syracuse spokesman, coach Jim Boeheim said Thursday night that Melo's situation is taking longer to resolve than anticipated." That's not actually reporting, that's just making a seperate SU representative "comment" on what Boeheim has already said and then making it sound like it's some kind of update from that representative.

It's no surprise that SU has no comment on the comment of the comment.

Donna Ditota addressed the situation in her chat today on Syracuse.com:

I know this will not make anyone happy, but there is no official word about Fab. I have been told it will be awhile before his situation is settled. Jim Boeheim said last night on his radio show that it was unlikely (not sure if that is his exact word) that Fab will play tomorrow.

Still, it's probably true. She did add that Melo is still practicing with the team, so it's not like he's been banned from all basketball-related activities or anything. He just can't play.

And so, don't expect Fab to grace us with his presence Saturday. Rakeem Christmas showed a lot of promise against Cincinnati but we'll know a lot more about his growth after this one. A good game does not a solid replacement make. Two good games could at least prove a trend. Nation of Orange thinks Christmas' growth could be the silver lining of all this.

Since Melo will be out, the upset alarms are sounding around the country. Never louder than with ESPN's John Gasaway, who is quickly climbing to the top of the #AddHimToTheList list by predicting an Orange loss and dropping SU to fifth in his power rankings.