BOSTON – C.J. Fair broke out of a scoring slump with 15 points and top-seeded Syracuse held on for a 64-63 victory over fourth-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday night in the East Regional semifinals.
The Badgers had two shots at the win after Kris Joseph, a 75 percent free throw shooter, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 18.9 seconds left and the Orange leading by a point. Jordan Taylor came down and missed a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left and Josh Gasser's desperation shot from the corner was off, at the buzzer.
Scoop Jardine added 14 points for the Orange (34-2), who advance to play Ohio State or Cincinnati in the regional final Saturday.
Taylor and Jared Berggren both had 17 points for the Badgers (26-10). Wisconsin, which made 14 3-pointers in the game, missed its last five from beyond the arc after hitting six straight during one stretch of the second half.