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Syracuse’s James Southerland wins appeal and will return today against St. John’s

A two-day wait for the results of James Southerland's appeal has apparently ended with the news Syracuse fans have been craving.

The senior forward has reportedly been reinstated.

Southerland, Syracuse's premier outside shooter, will be a welcome addition for Syracuse when it hosts St. John's on Sunday afternoon. The 6-foot-8 senior had missed the team's previous six games as a result of being declared ineligible on Jan. 12 due to an undisclosed academic issue.

Southerland was Syracuse’s second-leading scorer during the first half of the season, averaging 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds and hitting 37.5 percent of his attempts from behind the arc. Without him in the lineup, the Orange still went 4-2 but they were just 29 of 90 from 3-point range during those six games

The return of Southerland will boost a frontcourt that had been shorthanded without him and center Dajuan Coleman, who underwent a surgical procedure on his left knee that will sideline him until the end of the month. Freshman Jerami Grant performed well with increased playing time, so Syracuse now should only have more depth once it returns to full strength.