In the end, Syracuse cruises

Scoop Jardine sparked a game-deciding rally with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the closing minutes, and No. 2 Syracuse beat Connecticut, 85-67, yesterday.

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.

Connnecticut 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. 11 Michigan State 58, No. 3 Ohio State 48

Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green had 12 and Michigan State snapped Ohio State's 39-game home winning streak.

The Spartans (20-5, 9-3) pulled into a tie with the Buckeyes (21-4, 9-3) for first place in the Big Ten.

Keith Appling had 14 points for Michigan State, which rode its smothering pressure to a 10-point halftime lead and never relented down the stretch.

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 Missouri (23-2, 10-2 Big 12), which shot 50 percent from long range.

Missouri is 14-0 at home and got an easier test a week after needing a 12-0 run to beat Kansas by three. Both games were sellouts, although the matchup against Baylor (21-4, 8-4), carrying a higher ranking, failed to match that atmosphere.

No. 5 North Carolina 70, No. 19 Virginia

Tyler Zeller had 25 points and nine rebounds to power North Carolina to the victory.

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.

No. 7 Kansas 81, Oklahoma State 66

Jeff Withey and Thomas Robinson each logged impressive double-doubles for Kansas, which wasted a big chunk of a 29-point second-half cushion before pulling away for the victory.

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 boards for his 18th double-double of the season.

Tennessee 75, No. 8 Florida 70

Trae Golden scored 17 points, Jeronne Maymon added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Tennessee ended Florida's home-winning streak at 19.

Coming off a 20-point loss at top-ranked Kentucky and wearing gray uniforms to commemorate the program's back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007, Florida trailed by double digits early.

No. 10 Duke 73, Maryland 55

Miles Plumlee had 13 points and a career-high 22 rebounds, helping Duke pull away for the win.

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.

No. 14 Unlv 65, No. 13 San Diego State 63

Mike Moser scored 19 points and made a key steal late that helped UNLV to the close victory.

The Runnin' Rebels (22-4, 6-2 Mountain West) forced three turnovers in the final 42 seconds to win.

No. 15 Florida State 64, Miami 59

Bernard James scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and Florida State snapped Miami's five-game winning streak. (next page »)