NEW YORK, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Freshman guard Billy Edelin, called among the best first-year players in the country, Thursday saw the appeal of the suspension he was given for participating in an illegal outside competition denied by the NCAA.
The penalty was for 12 games.
Edelin enrolled as a freshman last season at Syracuse, but was suspended in October after an alleged sexual abuse complaint by a female student. He was cleared to attend school this year, but the NCAA caught wind of a winter league in which Edelin took part while he was out of school.
Syracuse argued that Edelin could not have known of the rule prohibiting him to play since he was not in school, and the rule should not have applied to him.
The NCAA upheld its decision, meaning Edelin will not be eligible until a Jan. 18 contest against Big East Conference favorite Pittsburgh.
"I don't even know what to say," said Rob Mathner, the school's Director of Compliance. "The institution prepared and brought forth a compelling case and we felt we had an opportunity to reduce (the original 12-game penalty). It just didn't happen."
The suspension is the longest for an individual by the NCAA since Michigan's Jamal Crawford was suspended for 13 games in the 1999-2000 season.
The Orangemen could have used his expertise Thursday night.
They started too slowly, tried to overcome an early 17-point deficit, but could not, and lost their season-opener, 70-63 to Memphis, in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at New York's Madison Square Garden.
