Fab’s addition means the Orange now begins the final month of the regular season with its best team together. SU no longer has the pressure of an undefeated season, and can begin its footrace to March. Melo’s big presence in the paint has been a vital part of Syracuse’s ferocious D. That efficiency on the defensive end has been as important as any reason for SU’s historic start. However, without the 7-footer controlling the paint the defense went from elite to mediocre. The biggest reasons for the let down were lack of lack of intimidation and rebounding.

The Fab told The Fizz after the Villanova win in mid-January, “We intimidate teams when we land in their city.”

Teams were not intimidated with Baye Moussa Keita or Rakeem Christmas down in the paint. Teams shied away from attacking SU down low when Fab was sitting there, ready to gobble up anything that came his way. West Virginia and Notre Dame thrived attacking the zone from the inside out, pounding the ball in paint then kicking it out for threes.

Syracuse beat St. John’s 38-25 on the glass. But SU got bullied on the boards in Fab’s absence. Boeheim admitted after the slim Mountaineers victory that rebounding had been a problem even with Fab in the lineup. It’s way worse without him. The Irish outrebounded the Orange 37-24, and WVU also went Mr. Clean on the glass snagging 36 rebounds (15 offensive) compared to only 20 for SU. Against Cincinnati, Syracuse won the battle of the boards by a measly one rebound. Without Melo in those three games, SU’s rebounding margin was minus 28.

The Brazilian big man also had arguably his best game of his freshman campaign against the Johnnies posting at the time a career-high 12 points, including two layups in the final 2 minutes to propel Syracuse to a win in the Big East tournament.  After today’s rumble with the Red Storm SU sinks its teeth into the meaty part of the Big East schedule playing three straight games against rivals Georgetown, UConn and a Louisville team that has Cuse’s number of late. It is good to know the Orange is back at full strength.

Posted: Dave Van Moffaert

• Follow The Fizz on Twitter for the latest SU recruiting news

How serious is Noel about SU? He’s already made an unofficial visit to the Hill and has now scheduled an official to SU for February 11. Syracuse coaches have attended a handful of Noel’s high school games. The interest is there on both sides, the question is can the Orange beat out some of the top programs in the country?

Syracuse has to be considered one of the favorites for Noel along with Kentucky. It could come down to Calipari vs. Boeheim again just like for DaJuan Coleman. It’s still very early in the process though, and the other schools can’t be counted out. Noel says he will make all of his visits. Just how desperate will other programs be for a big man with the talent of Nerlens?

Noel is an incredible shot blocker and has the potential to have an enormous impact on the defensive end. He also has incredible jumping ability and plenty of athleticism, which Jim Boeheim loves in the middle of that zone. Noel is powerful around the basket, but needs to work on his jump shot. That’s not unlike many Syracuse recruits through the years, but he’s very developed on the defensive end.

Some may question if there’s enough minutes for the uber-talented Noel, especially due to his one and done potential. With a potential Melo return, Rakeem Christmas, Baye Keita, and DaJuan Coleman already up front, SU’s frontcourt is stacked. However, Fab’s turbulent time at SU, big man potential, and being older than most college sophomores, he may decide to head to the NBA.

Regardless of Fab, Syracuse has to make a big play for Noel because of his natural gifts. The Orange will have to sell Noel on the program itself (winning, atmosphere, facilities), because it just can’t offer the minutes other schools can. Syracuse fans can dream of a Noel/Christmas/Coleman front court next season. What a dream that is.

Posted: Alex Plavin

Team Fizz assembled Wednesday night after a tireless day of working the phones, attending press conferences, live blogging, answering questions on Twitter, and covering every angle of SU’s Class of ’12. Here’s everything you need to know, in our full-length 2nd annual Signing Day SportsCenter.

• Listen to The Fizz’s 2nd Annual Signing Day SportsCenter

• Listen to The FizzCast with Wayne Morgan

Morgan kept his decision under wraps for weeks leading up to NSD, stealing the spotlight. But Wayne told the Fizz, SU was a no-brainer.

“I knew two days after I came back from Connecticut. In my heart I felt more comfortable at Syracuse. I just liked SU better.”

Morgan was enamored with Marrone’s philosophy. The Dougie never sugarcoated anything around Wayne. The Brooklyn native loved his down to Earth, straightforward approach to coaching.

“He said ‘Syracuse might not be the place for you’. He said ‘It’s not the place for a lot people, but you have to find it in your heart just to know if this is the place for you to be’. Once I heard that, my heart was there.”

There was no way Morgan was going to spurn New York’s college team. With Syracuse in his backyard, Wayne wouldn’t migrate to Pasqualoni-land. “I’ve been repping New York all my life. It feels good to stay home.” 
 
The E-Hall star also had his dream come true about playing with his boy Brandon Reddish. Wayne assured the Fizz that the two will tear up the secondary the next few years.

“Brandon is a real positive guy, I trust him. We’re going to do it up big [next season].”

SU achieved its goal. Marrone brought in a lockdown corner, who has the ability to become the leader of this defense in a couple of seasons. Wayne is smart, and he’s confident, and we’ll all see him up on the Hill this fall.

Posted: Kevin Fitzgerald

• Listen to the FizzCast with Devante McFarlane

Doug Marrone spoke about the importance of players  like McFarlane at his presser this afternoon: “Getting a guy like McFarlane, he’s a fantastic athlete.”

The Dougie clearly believes he will pay off as an under-the-radar talent development. He’s just a 2-star recruit, but McFarlane noted that he was comfortable with the coaching staff and made to feel like he’d fit in the program well.

“They made me feel good about Syracuse. They’re really confident in their coaching, their team, and everything about Syracuse. They made me feel really comfortable when I finally decided to commit to Syracuse.”

Although he’s listed as “athlete,” DMF told us he’s leaning towards playing running back. The decision likely won’t be his say, but he told us he’s good at making plays with the ball in his hands. 
“Wherever they put me, to help contribute to the team, that’s good for me”.
With a good attitude and a versatile set of attitudes, McFarlane could be a key back for the Orange in a variety of situations.  Pluses all the way around for SU once again as it inks McFarlane, who’s ready to hit the ground running. 

Posted: Jake Moskowitz

• Listen to the FizzCast with Ben Lewis

Lewis fell in love with two things. First was the coaches.

“I went to the summer camps and stuff and it was awesome. I really liked the coaches and they made me feel like family.”

The other thing he loved is Newhouse. Lewis wants to pursue a degree in Broadcast Journalism at Newhouse.

“Syracuse is nationally known for sports broadcasting. After looking at the long list of names who’ve come out of there and work for ESPN and such… I really wanted to go there.”

No mention of the night host on Boston’s #1 station, but we’ll let it slide.

As for next year, Lewis sees himself as a guy who’s going to push other players in practice and might play some on special teams. He also played DE in high school. Let’s see if he can become the next big play threat.

Posted: Craig Hoffman

“I feel like I can just get to the quarterback and change the game. Change the game; that’s the name of it, just changing the game.”

He’s right. To bounce back from last year, SU will certainly need to change its game, and Washington is ready to be part of that.  Washington racked up 14 sacks as a junior, and is poised to be another bullet in the young chamber of SU linebackers, joining the ranks of Dyshawn Davis and Marcus Spruill. 

• Listen to the FizzCast with James Washington

Washington, with a list of close to 30 schools having offered him, is one of the most sought after recruits Marrone has landed. At 6’3″, 220 lbs, he’s a little light for defensive end, but should fit in well as a linebacker. Plus, he’s clearly got a great attitude.

“It’s the best school in the country, so I decided to commit there.”   

Posted: Jake Moskowitz

The Fizz

“It if weren’t for the coaches who showed me that type of love that players need it wouldn’t be as good. They just treat the players like family and that bond you feel like one of their own.”

As what coach pushed George over the edge to come to the Hill? Look no further than Wheat the Beast.
 
“The relationship I have with Coach Wheatley is a close-knit bond. I can call him whenever I want to talk about anything, whatever is on my mind. It is like I am basically already up there and we have established that player/coach bond. I can talk to him about stuff football related, not football related, anything with him.” 

Morris has a lot of ability and room to grow after only playing running back for two years. He believes his versatility makes him an effective runner. 

“I feel that I am an every down back. I feel that I can go between the tackles or beat you outside or line me up and motion me out and catch the ball. Whatever the coaching staff needs me to do I feel like I am that running back that can do it.” 

Hopefully GM can continue the lineage of the great Orange running backs.

“I’m a pass rusher. I’m a speed guy.”

Considering the success of speed ends like Chan Jones and Dwight Freeney on the fast Dome turf, this is certainly music to Orange ears. While MPB says Freeney’s spin move is a lot harder than it looks, he’s ready to make a major impact next year.

“Every guy’s gonna say that, but I really believe I can come in and compete for the job.”

A major impact on Pierce-Brewster’s commitment is Greg Adkins relationship with his JuCo head coach George Rush.

• Listen to the FizzCast with speed rusher MPB

Rush’s professionalism shines through, he is one of few coaches that will always give return a phone call and even called The Fizz this morning to set up an interview with Markus today. MPB says that since Rush trusted Adkins, he knew that Syracuse had his best interests in mind and committing to the Orange was pretty easy.

Posted: Craig Hoffman

“It was definitely the way I got along with the coaches and the players that was the number one thing for me.”

Emerich committed to Syracuse back in June and has stuck it out to Signing Day, certainly a good thing for Orange fans who watched Mizzou and FIU jump in and steal SU verbals. Syracuse beat out UConn for Emerich, another victory over Coach P in addition to snagging Wayne Morgan.

• Listen to the FizzCast with Jason Emerich

Emerich is rated as a 2-star offensive tackle and will need to put on a little weight, but 275 is certainly a pretty solid start. Emerich also mentioned the atmosphere of the Dome as one of his reasons for choosing Syracuse. If the Orange wins the trenches, the Loud House will be even louder.

Posted: Alex Plavin