SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Kris Joseph had a career-high 27 points, Scoop Jardine scored 17 of his 21 in the second half, and No. 5 Syracuse beat Providence 81-74 Tuesday night in the Big East opener for both teams.
Jardine had nine points to key an 11-2 run that gave Syracuse a 62-49 lead and the Orange (14-0) held on despite 27 points from Marshon Brooks, his eighth straight game with at least 25.
The Friars (11-3) never got closer than four the remainder of the game.
Brandon Triche finished with 15 points and Rick Jackson had nine points, a career-high five assists, and 17 rebounds for the Orange. Jackson also registered two blocks to become the 10th player in program history to surpass 200.
Gerard Coleman finished with 12 points, Bilal Dixon had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Vincent Council had 10 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for Providence.
No. 11 Kentucky 91, Coppin State 61
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Terrence Jones scored 18 points, Brandon Knight added 17 points and eight assists and the 11th-ranked Wildcats rolled in their final tuneup before a showdown with rival Louisville on New Year's Eve.
Kentucky (10-2) shot 57 percent from the field - including 74 percent in the second half - to overwhelm the Eagles.
Doron Lamb, fresh off a school freshman-record 32-point performance in a rout of Winthrop last week, scored 17 points and DeAndre Liggins added 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Kentucky.
Jordan Lee led Coppin State (4-6) with 11 points while Tony Gallo and Akeem Ellis added 10 points each but the Eagles couldn't keep up with the Wildcats, who played efficiently while gearing up for Friday's Battle of the Bluegrass.
No. 12 Purdue 80, Michigan 57
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - JaJuan Johnson scored 22 points, E'Twaun Moore added 20 points and No. 12 Purdue opened the Big Ten season with an easy 80-57 victory over Michigan on Tuesday.
The Boilermakers (12-1, 1-0 Big Ten) also got 17 points from Ryne Smith and 10 from Terone Johnson.
Michigan (10-3, 0-1) was led by Stu Douglass with 15 points, but no other Wolverine reached double figures. Michigan shot 38 percent, compared to Purdue's 49 percent, and turned the ball over 14 times.
Michigan point guard Darius Morris, the Wolverines' leading scorer, was held out of the starting lineup for what John Beilein called "disregarding some of our core values." Morris eventually played 32 minutes, finishing with nine points on 3-for-14 shooting.
Wisconsin 68, No. 14 Minnesota 60
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Jordan Taylor scored 22 points and Jon Leuer added 16 for Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
Taylor and Leuer, both from the state of Minnesota, again played key roles in Wisconsin's eighth straight win in a conference opener. Wisconsin (11-2) is 70-6 against Big Ten opponents at the Kohl Center under coach Bo Ryan.
Minnesota (11-2) took the lead on Trevor Mbakwe's dunk with just under 7 minutes to play, but Wisconsin answered with two 3-pointers and Taylor and Leuer hit all seven free throws in the final 1:12 to seal the win.
Mbakwe finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Ralph Sampson III had 14 points, including the Gophers' final six, before fouling out.