Syracuse 75, Kansas State 59: Dion Waiters had a game-high 18 points and Scoop Jardine added 16 points and seven assists as Syracuse held off the Wildcats to advance to its third Sweet 16 in the last four years.

The top-seeded Orange (33-2) will meet No. 4 seed Wisconsin in the East Regional semifinals Thursday in Boston.

Syracuse broke open a close game with a 21-6 run — capped off by a pair of 3-pointers by Jardine and James Southerland — to take a 55-42 lead with 9:06 left. Kansas State (22-11), which trailed 25-24 at the half and took a two-point lead early in the second, missed 10 of 12 attempts during the stretch and committed a pair of turnovers.

That cold spell ultimately doomed the eighth-seeded Wildcats, who took a 9-2 lead in the opening minutes and had stayed within two possessions for much of the game. The Orange stretched their advantage to as many as 18 and closed the game with a 12-6 run.

Rodney McGruder finished with a team-high 17 points for Kansas State, which learned hours before tipoff that senior forward Jamar Samuels was declared ineligible for unspecified reasons.

Jordan Henriquez had 12 points and a game-high 17 rebounds — including 11 on the offensive end — and Angel Rodriguez added 12 points.

Syracuse used a 19-2 run midway through the first half to take a 23-12 lead, but the Wildcats held the Orange to just one field goal over the final eight minutes to pull within a point at the break.

Southerland had 15 points and Kris Joseph added 11 for Syracuse, which narrowly escaped 16-seed UNC-Asheville in the Round of 64. Rakeem Christmas finished with eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

If not for 22 offensive rebounds, Kansas State might not have had much of a chance. The Wildcats shot just 31 percent and committed 13 turnovers.

Syracuse went 23-of-29 from the free-throw line.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Kansas State fell to 2-2 against No. 1 seeds and 4-9 against Big East opponents in the NCAA tournament … Syracuse improved its tournament record to 55-34 all-time and 47-27 under Jim Boeheim … The Wildcats lost in the Round of 32 for the second straight year … Kansas State finished its season 3-3 against top-10 opponents … Syracuse improved to 28-0 when leading at the half … Will Spradling had 10 points for the Wildcats before fouling out late in the second half.