Syracuse Survives Wisconsin's 3-Point Barrage, 64-63, Advances to the Elite 8

Syracuse 64, Wisconsin 63. Fantastic game. Perhaps the best of the tournament so far. Kris Joseph of Syracuse missed the front end of a 1-and-1 in the final :30, giving Wisconsin an opportunity to win. But Jordan Taylor missed a contested 23-footer, a desperation rebound attempt was off the mark and Syracuse survived. It’s unclear why Bo Ryan of Wisconsin didn’t call timeout to draw up a play for Taylor or Jared Berggren, a forward who was 6-of-7 from the field, and didn’t miss a three-pointer (3-of-3).

But it’s also a shock Taylor (17 points) missed the shot – he was 5-of-8 from deep before that miss. As a team, the Badgers were a staggering 14-of-28 on three-pointers, including seven in a row at one point.

CJ Fair snapped out of a major funk and led Syracuse with 15 points; Scoop Jardine scored 14 and Brandon Triche added 11 as the Syracuse guards got whatever shots they wanted in the lane. Dion Waiters scored 13 for the Cuse, and here are two of his highlights.

Great spin cycle by Waiters … better call by Raftery.

Man, Dion Waiters is fun to watch. He’s got a little D Wade in him, no?

The Cuse will face the Cincinnati/Ohio State winner Saturday afternoon. [videos via Mike]