Nerlens Noel has dropped Florida and Providence from his list of schools.

Noel, a 6-foot-11 center, will choose between Kentucky, Georgetown, Syracuse, Connecticut and North Carolina.

He plans to make his decision in April.

Syracuse barely escaped with a 52-51 win at Louisville on Monday, their first win against the Cardinals in seven tries.

"You're going to get in games like this in the tournament. I don't care who you are. You've got to be ready to be able to make those plays at the end of games," Jim Boeheim said. "If they make a play, hit one shot, the end, we lose. In the tournament, you go home and you're going to play teams like Louisville and teams just as good or better."

"Our defense was getting crucial stops when we needed them," C.J. Fair said. "And, defense wins games."

"It was a defensive battle and they came up with the plays at the end," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "I'm very, very disappointed that we lost the game."

Fab Melo creates a turnover on 5.6 percent of his possessions played.

Melo ranks second in the nation in block percentage, and leads the Orange with 17 charges taken.

"I tell Fab all the time, a charge is really better than a blocked shot," coach Jim Boeheim said. "We get the ball, they get a foul, and it keeps them from driving hard at the basket."

Nerlens Noel is considering a number of schools, including Syracuse, Kentucky, Florida, Georgetown and North Carolina. Noel, who recently reclassified to 2012, is expected to be at the Syracuse-Connecticut game at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

Syracuse is hoping freshman Michael Carter-Williams may help sway Noel to commit to them.

"He’s one of my best friends," Carter-Williams said. "We’ve been playing AAU ball together since my sophomore year of high school. I just knew him from around. Then, after, we played on the same AAU team. We just hung out with each other all summer and he comes to my house all of the time.” 

Carter-Williams has spoken to Noel many times about his recruiting process, including playing for the Orange.

"He knows I want him to come here, definitely," Carter-Williams said. "But I’m not treating him any differently, to try to convince him to come here. At the end of the day, he’s going to go where he wants."