SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Guards Maalik Wayns and Corey Fisher combined to hit 6-of-7 shots from beyond the arc in the first half, giving No. 7 Villanova a big lead, and the Wildcats held on to beat third-ranked Syracuse 83-72 Saturday in a raucous Carrier Dome.
Not even a season-high crowd of 33,736, second-largest in the building’s history, could deter ‘Nova as Syracuse lost its second straight.
“We made shots,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “You play against the zone, you make shots you’ve got a chance. If you’re not making shots, you’re in trouble.”
Villanova missed just two of its 24 attempts, the misses coming on consecutive possessions midway in the second half, while the Orange were just 8-of-12 from the line.
No. 1 Ohio State 73, No. 23 Illinois 68
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Jared Sullinger had 27 points and 16 rebounds, and top-ranked Ohio State scored 14 straight points in the second half to rally.
Aaron Craft made two free throws with 15 seconds left and Jon Diebler forced an Illinois turnover with four seconds on the clock to help the unbeaten Buckeyes hold on.
No. 4 Duke 83, Wake Forest 59
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The league’s highest-ranked team took care of its worst down the stretch, using two big runs to outscore Wake Forest 42-27 in the second half. Duke won its fourth straight and claimed its second victory of the week on an in-state rival’s home floor.
No. 5 Pittsburgh 80, DePaul 50
CHICAGO — With the exception of a brief lapse early in the second half, the Panthers cruised to their ninth straight win.
No. 8 Connecticut 72, Tennessee 61
HARTFORD, Conn. — Kemba Walker scored a season-low 16 points, but that was enough to help Connecticut beat Tennessee and spoil coach Bruce Pearl’s brief return to the Volunteers’ bench.
Pearl is in the middle of serving an eight-game Southeastern Conference suspension for lying to NCAA investigators, but was allowed to coach the nonconference game against the Huskies.
No. 12 Kentucky 67, South Carolina 58
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Darius Miller added 18 points for the Wildcats, who had their 16-point lead sliced to 61-56 with 1:16 left. But Doron Lamb hit four consecutive foul shots and Kentucky escaped with its first victory at South Carolina in three years.
No. 14 Purdue 86, No. 17 Michigan St. 76
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — E’Twaun Moore scored 26 points for the Boilermakers, who remained one game behind No. 1 Ohio State in the conference standings heading into their showdown in Columbus on Tuesday night.
No. 15 Minnesota 69, Michigan 64
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Golden Gophers trailed 41-40 before going on a 12-3 run in the second half. Chip Armelin scored twice in a row on similar drives from the right wing, and Rodney Williams added a 3-pointer to make it 52-44.
No. 16 Notre Dame 80, Marquette 75
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Ben Hansbrough scored a career-best 28 points and keyed a second-half spurt that rallied Notre Dame past Marquette.
Providence 72, No. 19 Louisville 67
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Marshon Brooks scored 27 points in the first Big East victory of the year for the Friars.
No. 20 Washington 88, Arizona State 75
SEATTLE — The Huskies matched their best conference start in 24 years and the Sun Devils dropped their fifth straight conference game.
Vanderbilt 89, No. 22 Saint Mary’s 70
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor each scored 19 points and Vanderbilt snapped Saint Mary’s 11-game winning streak in the last nonconference game for both teams.
No. 25 Cincinnati 53, St. John’s 51
NEW YORK — Yancy Gates’ three-point play with eight seconds remaining gave Cincinnati a close victory.
Women
No. 1 Baylor 64, Texas Tech 51
WACO, Texas — Brittney Griner had 25 points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots for the Lady Bears, who extended their winning streak to 15 games.
No. 6 Texas A&M 60, No. 20 Iowa State 51
AMES, Iowa — Danielle Adams scored 25 points and Texas A&M beat Iowa State, snapping the Cyclones 19-game home winning streak.
