After stepping off the ledge, some positives

[Ragman2000]

Negatives to losing Fab are obvious. Biggest hits will be:

• Lose anchor of the zone, therefore less gambling. Steals and blocks will be down.
• Other team will be able to execute offensive game plan easier without the big shotblocker.

That said, some potential net gains by this situation. As I was thinking about it, there are more than I thought. Among them:

• Any pressure on this team that comes with being a #1 seed is off. Nobody is expecting us to escape our region. Even my small town newspaper in Bloomington Indiana posted on their facebook feed: "Fab Melo of Syracuse ruled inelligible. Don't forget to revise those brackets!" We're an underdog #1 seed.
• Rak is likely to play looser than usual. He's not going to be looking over his shoulder waiting for the quick hook. I bet JB plays with him with kids gloves after a mistake too. Perhaps he plays better knowing he's "the guy."
• I think the loss of Fab will rally Kris and CJ that they need to rebound better. That needed to happen anyway, this just solidifies that fact. I bet they both rebound very well this tourney.
• Melo took 2-3 charges per game, but got at least 1-2 goaltends too. These almost cancel each other out.
• No more ill-advised shots from the center position. That's at least 2-3 possessions we get a better shot off.
• Rak knows how to finish on the oop. If he can pick and roll half as well as Fab, that's still there for us on offense. He can catch and finish.

Overall, this sucks. But we're still a very good team even without Fab. We've been "us against the world" all year. Honest to God, the Final Four is still possible. I really believe that.