No. 1 -- Loss to Ohio State. The Orange advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2003 but they fell short of the Final Four in a 77-70 loss to Ohio State. The game was dominated by the officials, with 49 total fouls being called. The Buckeyes shot just 40 percent against Syracuse’s 2-3 zone but connected on 31-of-42 free throw attempts to end the Orange’s dream of a national championship. No. 2 -- Fab Melo suspensions. The Orange survived Melo’s first 3-game suspension by going 2-1 but when the starting center was declared ineligible just three days before the start of the NCAA tournament, it was too much for Syracuse to overcome. Rakeem Christmas and Baye Keita filled in admirably but neither is a defensive force in the middle of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone like the 7-foot Melo. No. 3 -- Outside distractions. The Orange won a school record 34 games and they did it with a cloud of controversy surrounding the program for most of the season. First the Bernie Fine scandal rocked the school. Then a Yahoo! Sports report claimed Syracuse had used players that failed drug tests. It was a tumultuous season in Syracuse but the players were somehow able to block it all out and succeed on the court.