College Basketball Saturday: Syracuse, Kentucky Win Blowouts, Creighton, UNLV Upset

This sure seems like a sign of a power trip. I mean, a referee running all the way across the court during a timeout to wag a finger, essentially, at the Ohio State bench is a bit odd by itself. But making a safe signal? That’s even more weird.

None of this made real sense at the time and it still doesn’t. Why the safe signal? Why sprint to the Ohio State bench at a timeout heading into a media break? What in the world is with college basketball refs?

Denmon had 29 points to lead all scorers, and scored nine straight points late as the Tigers closed with a 11-0 run to get a 74-71 win over the Jayhawks in Columbia. Denmon added nine rebounds and made six of his nine threes to carry Missouri on a night when the Tigers’ four other starters had 12 points combined.

This game may be the last in the so-called “Border War” to take place in Missouri, at least for a while. The series’ future is in doubt with Missouri’s impending move from the Big 12 to the SEC in 2012.

For more on the two teams, check out Alabama Crimson Tide blog Roll ‘Bama Roll and Ole Miss Rebels blog Red Cup Rebellion.

Anthony Davis scored 22 points and No. 1 Kentucky had no trouble racing past South Carolina, 86-52, on Saturday for its 15th straight win.

Davis and Jones outscored South Carolina by themselves in the first half, 34-25, as Kentucky built a 52-25 lead.

James scored the final eight points for the Panthers (16-9, 6-7 MVC), who turned the ball over just twice and made 11-of-21 shots from three-point range. James finished with 16 points.

The Bluejays, which came in shooting 45.3 percent from beyond the arc, -- the best percentage in the country -- made just 5-of-16 attempts from three-point range.

“There can’t be a coach anywhere that is prouder of how their team has played this season than I am of this group of guys,” said Larry Shyatt. “They executed all the keys that we talked about leading up to this game, and they played with such great energy tonight.”

For more on the Cowboys, visit our Wyoming blog Cowboy Altitude.

Two free throws from Gabriel with nine minutes to play made it a 69-64 game, but Moultrie and Sidney followed with a pair of free throws each.

It stayed close the rest of the way and Payne made it a four-point game on a jumper late in the contest as the score was 88-84, but Shaun Smith made his two from the line.

The Pirates were held to a paltry 24.0 percent from the field during the first period of play, opening a commanding 30-17 halftime lead for Connecticut.

The Huskies never looked back during the second stanza, as the squad hit 48.3 percent from the floor to go with a 10-of-13 effort at the foul line to roll to a 23-point victory.

North Carolina now moves on to play Duke on Wednesday while Maryland preps for Clemson on Tuesday.

For more on the Tar Heels, head over to Carolina March. For more on the the Terps, visit Testudo Times.

For more on the Badgers, head over to the SB Nation blog Bucky’s 5th Quarter. For more on the Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. Stay tuned to SB Nation’s college basketball hub for more news.

Travis Ford’s club battled all afternoon, but could not climb back from a Baylor run mid way through the second half. They kept the game within single digits all day, but could not keep up on the glass. Freshman Brian Williams led the Cowboys 23 points, while fellow frosh Le’Bryan Nash added 11.

For more news, analysis, and discussion on the Bears, visit Our Daily Bears, SB Nation’s Baylor blog. For all your Oklahoma State news, visit Cowboys Ride For Free.

The Florida Gators continued their impressive home winning streak on Saturday afternoon, winning their 19th in a row at the “O Dome” with a 73-65 victory over Vanderbilt. After losing the conference opener in Knoxville, the Gators now head into their huge matchup against No.1 Kentucky on Tuesday with a seven-game SEC winning streak. It was a back-and-forth game through the first 30 plus minutes in Gainesville, but the Gators took control under six minutes to keep the Commodores at arm’s length.

Brad Beal was coming off perhaps his best game of the year - a dominating double-double performance against South Carolina that was capped with an incredible “and-one” dunk that was a highlight of the night around the country. Beal was active yet again on Saturday, scoring 16 points and continuing to crash the glass for seven rebounds. The freshman phenom is perhaps Billy Donovan’s most complete player as the season enters the stretch run. Kenny Boynton led the Gators with 18 points, hitting three three-pointers to lead Florida’s three-headed monster in the backcourt.

Mike Scott had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, but also committed seven turnovers. Joe Harris also had 16 points, but went 5-for-12 shooting to get there.

For more on the Seminoles, head over to the SB Nation blog Tomahawk Nation. For more on the Cavaliers, check out Streaking The Lawn. Stay tuned to SB Nation’s college basketball hub for more news.

D’Angelo Harrison did the most damage for the Red Storm on Saturday, scoring 23 points on five made 3-pointers and 8-for-12 from the free throw line. Moe Harkless added 15 points and eight rebounds, but in the end it wasn’t enough to overcome a 55.7 percent shooting performance by the Orange.

For more on the Orange, head over to the SB Nation blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Stay tuned to SB Nation’s college basketball hub for more news.

For more on the Hoyas, head over to the SB Nation blog Casual Hoya. For more on the Bulls, check out Voodoo Five. Stay tuned to SB Nation’s college basketball hub for more news.

Barnes’ injury was not considered overly serious at the time. He left Tuesday’s game in the first half, but was able to return and play 15 minutes in the second half of the win. He managed 13 points in that game, though the typically sharp shooter went just 1-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line. Barnes was seen on crutches on Wednesday, however, and had to be held out of practice Thursday.

The Tar Heels are 12.5-point favorites on the road against the 13-8 Terrapins. UNC seemingly holds the advantage at every position, but Maryland has had better recent success, winning two of the last three meetings between the two teams.