Rest assured that fans of Notre Dame and Louisville already are convinced that, even with a postseason ban looming, the Orange aren't about to throw in the towel. Faced with the reality that its season will end March 7 at North Carolina State — the Orange will not participate in any postseason play, even in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament — Syracuse (18-10, 9-6 ACC) has responded well. Freshman forward Chris McCullough was lost for the season after 16 games, depriving Boeheim of a talented big man to complement standout senior Rakeem Christmas, and hulking center Dajuan Coleman has not played. A decision is imminent from the NCAA Committee on Infractions, and Boeheim said this week in a radio interview that even if he had nothing to do with any violation he would accept the punishment. Christmas struggled to score 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting, missing shots he customarily makes, and registered only six rebounds.