Waiters powers Syracuse to victory over Villanova

PHILADELPHIA -- Dion Waiters demanded a little more noise as he motioned toward a Philly crowd colored with so much orange it could have passed for a Flyers game.

The Syracuse faithful stood and roared their approval.

For those Orange fans that made the trip from upstate New York to the ones who remember Waiters playing ball as a kid, he gave them a performance to savor in his homecoming. The Philly native scored 20 points, and No. 1 Syracuse remained undefeated with a 79-66 win over Villanova on Wednesday night.

"It was great coming back to the city where you were born," Waiters said. "All my family and friends were here. It was priceless."

James Southerland added 15 points for the balanced Orange, who are 18-0 for the second straight season. Syracuse (5-0 Big East) used a 20-2 run to dominate the struggling Wildcats.

Waiters has flourished in a reserve role and forced himself into early contention for conference player of the year honors. He was 8 of 13 from the floor and punished a Villanova team still trying to find its way.

Villanova (8-9, 1-4) lost for the fourth time in five games and has put its streak of seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances in serious jeopardy. Mouphtaou Yarou had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats.

AROUND THE NATION

MICHIGAN WORKS OT -- At Ann Arbor, Mich., Trey Burke scored 19 points, including Michigan's final eight of overtime, as the No. 13 Wolverines held off Northwestern, 66-64. The Wildcats trailed 66-63 when Alex Marcotullio was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 0.3 seconds remaining. After missing the first free throw and making the second, he intentionally missed the third, but Northwestern (11-5, 1-3 Big Ten) was unable to tip in the rebound. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points for Michigan (14-3, 4-1), though it was his foul that put Marcotullio on the line.

KENTUCKY COASTS -- At Auburn, Ala., Anthony Davis and Doron Lamb scored 14 points apiece, and No. 2 Kentucky (16-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) put together a 23-6 closing run to beat Auburn (10-6, 0-2), 68-53.

MISSOURI BOUNCES BACK -- At Ames, Iowa, Matt Pressey led five players in double figures with 14 points, and No. 9 Missouri topped Iowa 76-69 as the Tigers (15-1, 2-1 Big 12) rebounded from their loss to Kansas State. Scott Christopherson had 19 points for Iowa State (12-4, 2-1).

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE

THORNS PACES TCU -- At Fort Worth, Texas, former Valley High standout Hank Thorns scored 16 points, and Texas Christian (10-5) opened the game with an 18-0 run in an 88-58 victory over Texas-Pan American (5-15).

RAMS EDGE DENVER -- At Fort Collins, Colo., Wes Eikmeier scored 22 points, and Jesse Carr made three free throws in the final 21 seconds as Colorado State (11-4) held off Denver (13-4), 79-75.