One game down in the Sweet 16 and we already have an upset. No. 2 seed Arizona has been eliminated.
Led by 18 points from guard Chase Hunter and 17 by big man P.J. Hall, the sixth-seeded Clemson Tigers knocked off Arizona 77-72 to advance to the Elite Eight in the West Region.
With the win, Clemson reached the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history and the first time since 1980. Arizona has now failed to make it past the Sweet 16 in its last six NCAA Tournament trips and is still looking for its first Final Four appearance since 2001.
“Clemson lost three of its last four games prior to the NCAA Tournament. It has since controlled games back-to-back-to-back against New Mexico, Baylor, and Arizona. A masterclass by Brad Brownell,” said CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein following the game.
The Tigers got off to a hot shooting start and led by as many as 13 in the first half, but Arizona clawed back, eventually taking a one-point lead with 14:33 remaining in the game.
Clemson then ripped off an 8-2 run to regain control, but the Wildcats recovered to draw even at 56 with 9:55 left. From there, it was all Tigers, as Hall, Hunter and Ian Schieffelin combined for 19 of their team’s final 21 points to secure the victory.
Arizona was done in by poor shooting, with Caleb Love (5-for-18 overall, 0-for-9 on three-pointers), Pelle Larsson (2-for-9 overall, 1-for-6 on three-pointers) and Kylan Boswell (1-for-5 on three-pointers) all struggling.
Clemson now moves on to face the winner of UNC and Alabama on Saturday for the right to go to the Final Four.