Top 25
No. 2 Syracuse 85, Connecticut 67
Scoop Jardine sparked a game-deciding rally with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the closing minutes to lead host Syracuse on Saturday. Jardine had a season-high 21 points as Syracuse (25-1, 12-1 Big East) earned its fifth consecutive win since suffering its only loss of the season at Notre Dame.
Connecticut trailed the entire second half but closed to 63-61 on a free throw by Tyler Olander with 6:26 to go.
Jardine then hit 3-pointers from the right side as the Orange closed the game with a 19-3 surge.
Jeremy Lamb scored 18 points for Connecticut (15-9, 5-7), which has lost six of seven.
No. 4 Missouri 72, No. 6 Baylor 57
Phil Pressey scored 19 points, making four of Missouri’s season-best 14 3-pointers.
Sixth man Michael Dixon also had four 3-pointers and Marcus Denmon added three for host Missouri (23-2, 10-2 Big 12), which shot 50 percent from long range.
The Bears (21-4, 8-4) shot just 36 percent, negating a 40-27 rebounding advantage.
No. 5 North Carolina 70, No. 19 Virginia 52
Tyler Zeller had 25 points and nine rebounds to power host North Carolina.
Harrison Barnes added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (21-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who regrouped from Wednesday night’s stunning loss to rival Duke on a last-second 3-pointer.
North Carolina blew the game open with a 22-5 run that started early in the second half, with Zeller scoring seven points during the spurt that pushed the Tar Heels to a 15-point lead with about 6› minutes left.
The Cavaliers (19-5, 6-4) got no closer than 11 points again.
No. 7 Kansas 81, Oklahoma State 66
Jeff Withey and Thomas Robinson each logged impressive double-doubles for host Kansas, which wasted a big chunk of a 29-point second-half cushion before pulling away from Oklahoma State (12-13, 5-7 Big 12) for the win.
Withey finished with 18 points and a career-best 20 rebounds, while Robinson burnished his player of the year credentials with 24 points and 14 rebounds for his 18th double-double of the season.
Kansas (20-5, 10-2) earned its 19th consecutive home victory.
Tennessee 75, No. 8 Florida 70
Trae Golden scored 17 points, Jeronne Maymon added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Tennessee upset Florida, ending the Gators’ home winning streak at 19.
The Gators played most of the game without their top two reserves, guard Mike Rosario and forward Will Yeguete. Rosario missed the game because of a hip pointer, and Yeguete suffered a head injury early in the first half when he slammed into the padding at the base of the basket.
No. 10 Duke 73, Maryland 55
Miles Plumlee had 13 points and a career-high 22 rebounds, and Duke pulled away to beat visiting Maryland.
Seth Curry scored 19 points and Mason Plumlee added 16 points and 10 rebounds while big brother Miles became the first Duke player with 20 rebounds since Elton Brand in 1998.
The Blue Devils (21-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) followed up their last-second victory over rival North Carolina with their fifth consecutive victory in the series. They built a 48-33 rebounding advantage but struggled to separate themselves on the scoreboard until they closed the game with a 13-2 run.
Nick Faust scored 15 points for the Terps (14-10, 4-6).
No. 14 UNLV 65, No. 13 San Diego State 63
Mike Moser scored 19 points and made a key steal to lead host Nevada-Las Vegas.
The Runnin’ Rebels (22-4, 6-2 Mountain West) had several defensive stops in the closing minute to defeat San Diego State (20-4, 6-2).
Moser’s steal and pass set up Anthony Marshall for the go-ahead layup. Moser missed his first five shots before finding his touch.
No. 15 Florida State 64, Miami 59
Bernard James scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and Florida State snapped visiting Miami’s five-game winning streak.
Michael Snaer had 12 points and Ian Miller finished with 11 for Florida State (17-7, 8-2 ACC), which bounced back from a disappointing 64-60 loss at Boston College on Wednesday.
Kenny Kadji led Miami (15-8, 6-4) with 14 points.
Wichita State 89, No. 17 Creighton 68
Joe Ragland scored 24 points, Ben Smith matched his career high with 22 and visiting Wichita State moved a step closer to the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship.
Wichita State (22-4, 13-2) has won 12 of its past 13 games, while the Bluejays (21-5, 11-4) have lost three in a row.
The Shockers won with limited help from 7-footer Garrett Stutz, who played only 13 minutes because of foul trouble and finished with eight points. They shot 59 percent from the floor, made eight 3-pointers and hit all 17 of their free throws. Ragland and Smith combined to go 17-for-24 from the floor.
No. 18 Marquette 95, Cincinnati 78
Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder scored 23 points each, helping Marquette beat visiting Cincinnati.
Jamil Wilson added 15 points for the Golden Eagles (21-5, 10-3 Big East), who have won nine of their last 10 games.
JaQuon Parker and Dion Dixon scored 15 points each for the Bearcats (17-8, 7-5).
Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati’s leading scorer, was held to a season-low seven points and spent the late stages of the game on the bench.
Marquette forced Cincinnati into 14 turnovers.
Georgia 70, No. 20 Mississippi State 68
Georgia’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points, including a crucial 3-pointer late in overtime.
Georgia (12-12, 3-7) earned its first Southeastern Conference road win this season and only its second road victory overall.
Mississippi State (19-6, 6-4) was led by Dee Bost’s 21 points. The senior guard missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have tied it.
Georgia trailed for much of the game, but Robinson hit a driving layup with 27 seconds remaining that sent the game to overtime.
No. 24 Louisville 77, West Virginia 74
Kyle Kuric scored 17 points to lead five Louisville players in double figures.
Visiting Louisville (20-5, 8-4 Big East) scored 13 of the game’s final 16 points to extend its winning streak to six games.
Kevin Jones had 22 points and 11 rebounds for West Virginia (16-10, 6-7).
Princeton 70, No. 25 Harvard 62
Ian Hummer had 20 points and Princeton beat visiting Harvard, handing the Crimson their first Ivy League loss of the season.
T.J. Bray added 12 points for the Tigers (13-10, 4-3), who defeated the Crimson at home for the 24th consecutive time. Princeton has not lost to Harvard at Jadwin Gym since 1989.
Keith Wright had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Harvard (21-3, 7-1), which had won nine in a row and was attempting to go 8-0 in the Ivy League for the first time. The Tigers went 14-of-17 from the free-throw line in the final five minutes.
Big Ten
Penn State 67, Nebraska 51
Tim Frazier scored 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Penn State snapped a five-game losing streak and defeated visiting Nebraska.
The junior recorded his fifth double-double of the season and was one assist shy of a triple-double.
Penn State senior Cammeron Woodyard chipped in with 14 points and tied a career high with four 3-pointers to help the Nittany Lions (11-15, 3-10 Big Ten) secure their first win since Jan. 19.
Dylan Talley led Nebraska (11-13, 3-10) with 12 points and went 3-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Mid-American
Bowling Green 66, Toledo 63
Scott Thomas scored 21 points and A’uston Calhoun added 20 as visiting Bowling Green beat Toledo for the Eagles’ fourth consecutive win.
Thomas, who had four steals, leads the Mid-American Conference in steals and is fourth overall on Bowling Green’s career steals list.
Calhoun was 10-of-18 from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds to help Bowling Green outrebound Toledo 40-27.
Bowling Green (13-11, 7-4) trailed 57-55 before Dee Brown sank two free throws to spark a 7-0 run and give the Eagles a 62-57 lead with 1:42 left to play.
Toledo (11-14, 3-8) cut the lead to 62-60, but Calhoun made a layup and the Eagles held the Rockets scoreless over the final 1:14 to seal the win.
Eastern Michigan 68, Ohio 55
Derek Thompson came off the bench to score 23 points and lead host Eastern Michigan.
Antonio Green added 13 points and Jamell Harris 12 for the Eagles (11-14, 6-5 Mid-American), who broke a three-game skid.
D.J. Cooper’s 15 points topped the Bobcats (19-6, 7-4), who dropped their second in row. The Eagles hit 18-of-36 (50 percent) and sank 8-of-12 3-pointers.
Miami 69, Central Michigan 50
Jon Harris scored 17 points as Miami coasted past visiting Central Michigan.
The RedHawks (8-15, 4-7) led 30-15 at halftime. Central Michigan (7-17, 2-9) led once, 3-2 on Olivier Mbagioto’s 3-pointer 35 seconds into the game. The rest of the first half was nightmarish for the Chippewas, who shot 3-for-20 from the floor, 1-of-10 on 3-point attempts. They lost their ninth in a row.
For Miami, Harris hit 6-of-11 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 beyond the 3-point arc. Julian Mavunga added 14 points. The RedHawks hit 10-of-19 3-point attempts while Central Michigan was just 4-of-18 on 3-pointers.
Trey Ziegler led the Chippewas with 17 points.
Buffalo 59, Western Michigan 57
Mitchell Watt scored 16 points and had six blocks, including one with 2 seconds left, to help host Buffalo (16-6, 9-2).
The Bulls (16-6, 9-2) led 57-56 after Mike Douglas’ three-point play put Western Michigan up with 24 seconds left.
Matt Stainbrook led Western Michigan (10-15, 4-7) with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
