Ohio State 77, Syracuse 70: Jared Sullinger had a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds to lead Ohio State to the Final Four with a victory over the top-seeded Orange in the East Region at Boston.

Lenzelle Smith Jr. finished with 18 points, Deshaun Thomas had 14 and William Buford added 13 for the second-seeded Buckeyes (31-7), who will play the winner of top-seeded North Carolina or No. 2 seed Kansas out of the Midwest region.

The Final Four appearance is Ohio State’s first since 2007, the year it fell to Florida in the national championship game.

Brandon Triche had a team-high 15 points for Syracuse (34-3), which fell behind 46-36 early in the second half before making a late push. The Orange twice pulled within one point in the final eight minutes, and trailed 70-67 after Dion Waiters’ three-point play with 37 seconds left.

But Ohio State made 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch — including one by Sullinger that made it a two-possession game — and Syracuse came up empty on two of its last three possessions.

Sullinger, who played just six first-half minutes after picking up a pair of early fouls, scored 15 of his points after halftime — including a 9-of-12 effort from the free-throw line.

Both teams battled foul trouble throughout the game, which featured a combined 48 personals and a technical, which was charged to Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim in the first half.

Six players finished with at least four fouls, and three players — Waiters and James Southerland for Syracuse, and Aaron Craft of Ohio State — fouled out.

Ohio State took a 9-2 lead in the opening minutes, but scored just eight points in the final 10 minutes of the first half before entering halftime tied at 29.

Scoop Jardine had 14 points and six assists and Kris Joseph added 10 points for the Orange, who were trying to advance to their first Final Four since 2003, the year they won the national title.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Syracuse fell to 1-7 against Big Ten opponents in the NCAA tournament … The Buckeyes advanced to the Final Four for the 10th time in program history ... Ohio State outrebounded Syracuse 37-22, as Buford and Thomas each had nine boards.