Syracuse 64, Wisconsin 63: C.J. Fair had a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds and Scoop Jardine added 14 points as Syracuse held off the hot-shooting Badgers to advance to its first regional final since 2003.

Dion Waiters finished with 13 points and Brandon Triche had 11 for the top-seeded Orange (34-2), who will play either No. 2 seed Ohio State or No. 6 seed Cincinnati on Saturday, with the winner earning a trip to the Final Four.

Wisconsin (26-10), a 4-seed, had a chance to win on its final possession, but Jordan Taylor’s 3-pointer fell short, and Josh Gasser’s last-second try from the baseline sailed off course.

Syracuse, which had lost its three previous Sweet 16 games, led by as many as seven early in the second half. But the Badgers made six straight 3-pointers — including two by Taylor — to regain the lead at 59-56 with 7:05 left.

The Orange responded with an 8-2 run, but Gasser’s free throws pulled the Badgers within 64-63 with 31 seconds left.

After Kris Joseph missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 18 seconds left, Wisconsin had one final chance. But Syracuse ratcheted up the defensive pressure, and with the game clock winding down, the Badgers still hadn’t worked the ball inside.

With nowhere to turn, Taylor decided to pull up for a 3-pointer that didn’t come close.

Jared Berggren and Taylor each had 17 points for the Badgers, who defeated Vanderbilt 60-57 in the Round of 32. Taylor had five 3-pointers for Wisconsin, which went 14-of-27 from 3-point range and shot 42 percent overall.

Syracuse, which trailed by six early in the first half, used a 22-6 run to take a 33-27 halftime lead. The Orange shot 66 percent in the first half and finished 27-of-49 (55 percent) for the game as only six players managed to score.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Syracuse earned its first NCAA tournament win in seven tries against a Big Ten Conference opponent … Jim Boeheim improved to 5-11 all-time in the Sweet 16 … Berggren had 10 of his points in the first seven minutes, but was forced to the bench moments later after picking up his second foul … Wisconsin fell to 5-8 against ranked teams.