Kansas State senior forward Jamar Samuels did not play against Syracuse in the third round of the East Regional of the NCAA tournament because of an eligibility concern.
The school released a statement about 20 minutes before Saturday's game that the team's second-leading scorer (10.0) and leading rebounder (6.6) would not be available for the eighth-seeded Wildcats. K-State went on to lose, 75-59.
''This is a situation that has developed rapidly over the last 24 hours,'' athletic director John Currie said.
The 6-foot-7 Samuels had one point, eight rebounds and three assists in Kansas State's 70-64 second-round win over Southern Mississippi. He sat on the Kansas State bench wearing a black sweatsuit while his teammates tried to advance to the regional semifinals. The Wildcats started freshman Thomas Gipson in place of Samuels. Gipson had eight points and eight rebounds in the loss.
The top-seeded Orange are playing the tournament without starting center Fab Melo, who was ruled ineligible by the school earlier in the week.
