Jamar Samuels, a 6-foot-7 senior forward for the Kansas St. Wildcats, will not be in uniform Saturday when the No. 8 seeded Wildcats face the top-seeded Syracuse Orange in a third-round NCAA Tournament contest in Pittsburgh, Pa. The announcement was made less than a half hour before the Wildcats and Orange were set to play for a berth in the Sweet 16.
"We do not expect Jamar Samuels to be available for today's game with Syracuse due to an eligibility concern," said Kansas State Athletic Director John Currie. (Here's audio from Currie via OrangFizz.)
The Samuels situation happened withinthe last 24 hours, per the K-State Athletic Communications department
— John Garcia Jr. (@JohnGarcia_Jr) March 17, 2012
One of the keys coming into Saturday's contest was the rebounding advantage that the Wildcats would have over the Orange. Kansas State led the Big 12 Conference in rebounding, while Syracuse has struggled on the boards all season.
Samuels is the Wildcats' leading rebounder and is a double-digit scorer. Freshman forward Thomas Gipson will be starting in Samuels' place.
For a breakdown of Syracuse vs. Kansas State, check back to this SB Nation New York StoryStream.
For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket stick with SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on every March Madness game.
