Syracuse, N.Y. ? Jim Boeheim breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. With the season winding down, he didn’t need anything hanging over his head.

Hakim Warrick scored a career-high 36 points in his final home game, and Boeheim notched his 700th victory when No. 15 Syracuse overwhelmed Providence in the second half for a 91-66 victory Saturday.

“This week has been tough for everybody just to get through,” said Boeheim, the sixth active coach to reach 700 victories and the 18th overall. “When you have to win a couple of games, I think there’s more of a pressure situation than anything, just to get 700 out of the way, not having to keep that going for another week. That was a huge relief for me. It was great to get this all done at once.”

Boeheim, in his 29th year at Syracuse, saluted the Carrier Dome crowd of 32,804 from center court, held up a team jersey with “Boeheim 700” emblazoned on the back and was presented with a huge banner sporting the autographs of thousands of adoring fans.

“I could have done without that,” Boeheim said. “You have to do that because that’s what people expect. I want the players to get all the credit. I just look at these kinds of things as a distraction. One of my jobs is to keep distractions to a minimum. Anything I can eliminate, that’s what I want to do.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not proud. It’s a private feeling,” he said. “I’ve seen too many people where their focus changes and they don’t do the same things that they always did.”

No. 3 Boston College 70, Seton Hall 58

Boston — Jared Dudley had 19 points and seven rebounds to help Boston College close in on the Big East regular-season title.

No. 5 Kentucky 78, Alabama 71

Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Patrick Sparks hit five of his seven three-pointers in the second half and scored a season-high 26 points, lifting Kentucky to a comeback victory that clinched the Wildcats’ 43rd Southeastern Conference title.

No. 7 Duke 58, St. John’s 47

New York — Duke had its worst offensive game of the season, but the Blue Devils were able to hold off St. John’s. Lee Melchionni had 14 of his 16 points in the first half to lead the Blue Devils (21-4).

No. 14 Washington 93,

No. 9 Arizona 85

Seattle — Tre Simmons scored 24 points, and Washington moved one step closer to its first Pac-10 title in 20 years.

No. 11 Louisville 53, Memphis 44

Memphis, Tenn. — Taquan Dean scored 14 points, and Francisco Garcia added 12 on a rough shooting night for both teams.

No. 13 Utah 69, BYU 60

Salt Lake City — Andrew Bogut had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Marc Jackson finished with a career-high 11 assists, helping Utah sweep its state rival this season.

No. 17 Connecticut 73,

No. 18 Pittsburgh 64

Pittsburgh — Marcus Williams scored 13 points and put Connecticut ahead to stay with a driving layup off the glass with 31/2 minutes remaining to keep the Huskies in contention for the Big East regular-season title.

No. 19 Pacific 75, Cal State Northridge 61

Stockton, Calif. — Christian Maraker and Tyler Newton each scored 15 points, and Pacific made four straight three-pointers during a key second-half stretch to defeat Cal State Northridge for its 19th straight victory.

No. 21 Charlotte 81, Southern Miss 58

Charlotte, N.C. — Curtis Withers scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Charlotte closed its home schedule with its seventh straight victory.

No. 24 Cincinnati 89, TCU 74

Fort Worth, Texas — Jihad Muhammad had 21 points, and Cincinnati overcame 22 turnovers by shooting a season-best 61 percent.

No. 25 Nevada 76, Fresno State 63

Fresno, Calif. — Nick Fazekas scored 28 points, and Mo Charlo keyed a big second-half run that helped Nevada win its eighth straight.