COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Connecticut Upsets No. 5 Syracuse

Connecticut, predicted to finish near the bottom of the Big East Conference, got another surprising victory Monday night, knocking off fifth-ranked Syracuse, 70-59, at Hartford, Conn.

Chris Smith and Tate George each scored 17 points as the Huskies (14-3 overall, 4-2 in the conference) won their fourth consecutive conference game.

Syracuse (12-2, 3-2) made only 35% of its shots.

George’s three-pointer put the Huskies ahead near the outset and Connecticut quickly built a 30-14 lead. Syracuse got no closer than four points the rest of the way.

The last time Syracuse was that close was at 61-57 with 2:19 left, after Derrick Coleman, who scored 16 points for Orangemen, scored on a rebound. But the Huskies made seven of nine free throws in the final 1:09 to preserve the victory.

No. 6 Michigan 74, No. 7 Illinois 70--The Wolverines never trailed in ending Illinois’ 28-game home winning streak at Champaign, Ill.

The Wolverines, who beat the Illini, 83-81, in the NCAA semifinals last March, won for the first time at Illinois since 1979, stopping a span of 10 consecutive losses.

Michigan (12-2, 2-1) had a 71-69 lead with 33 seconds left after Kendall Gill made only one of two free throws for Illinois. Rumeal Robinson and Loy Vaught combined to make three free throws and keep the Wolverines in the lead.

Terry Mills scored 18 points and Sean Higgins added 16 points for Michigan. Stephen Bardo scored 20 and Gill added 15 for Illinois (12-2, 2-2).

No. 17 La Salle 89, Canisius 77--Lionel Simmons scored 27 points and the Explorers pulled away in the second half in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Philadelphia.

La Salle (11-1, 2-0) was leading by only 43-42 with 17:40 left, but the Explorers scored 10 consecutive points over the next three minutes, seven by Simmons.

Canisius (2-12, 0-6) lost its fifth consecutive game.

No. 20 Xavier 110, District of Columbia 52--The Musketeers used a fast start at Cincinnati to score their 12th consecutive victory, the most lopsided victory in school history.

Xavier started playing basketball in 1919.

Xavier (12-1) rolled to a 20-point lead midway through the first half against the smaller Firebirds (9-10), who threw the ball away 12 times in the first half.

Xavier’s 12-game winning streak is the second-longest in school history, behind only a 15-game streak in 1987-88--the last time the Musketeers were ranked in the Top 20. The 12-1 start is the best ever for Xavier.

Providence 89, Seton Hall 63--The Friars rebounded from a 28-point home loss three days ago by routing the Pirates at East Rutherford, N.J.

The victory gave Providence (10-4, 3-2) a sweep of its Big East series with the Pirates (8-6, 1-3), who dropped their third consecutive game.

Virginia 89, VMI 78--Bryant Stith scored 22 points and Anthony Oliver added 21 at Charlottesville, Va., as the Cavaliers (9-4) ended a three-game losing streak.

John Crotty had 18 points and 12 assists, and Kenny Turner and Ted Jeffries each had 12 points for the Cavaliers (9-4).

VMI’s Ramon Williams scored 31 points and his twin, Damon, had 22 as the Keydets (2-9) lost their fourth consecutive game.

Colorado State 65, Wyoming 57--Mike Mitchell had 23 points as the Rams defeated the Cowboys in a Western Athletic Conference game at Laramie, Wyo.

Mitchell scored 11 of the Rams’ last 15 points of the half to give Colorado State (13-3, 3-1) a 33-26 lead.

Reginald Slater had 16 for the Cowboys (9-6, 2-2).

Washington 83, Miami 67--Dion Brown scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Huskies past the Hurricanes at Seattle.

Eldridge Recasner added 18 points and Mark West had 16 for the Huskies (8-7).

Joe Wylie scored 14 for Miami (5-7).