Clemson stuns Arizona, survives second-half surge to reach Elite 8

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To win a national championship, making clutch baskets is a must, and that’s exactly what the No. 6 Clemson Tigers did in their Sweet 16 matchup against the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats Thursday night. 

The Tigers watched the Wildcats fight back and take the lead late in the second half, but they held off a late-game surge to move on in the NCAA Tournament with a 77-72 win.

Clemson went into the second half with a 39-31 lead, but a Caleb Love and-one for Arizona with 16:33 left made it a tie game at 43.

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Chase Hunter (1) of the Clemson Tigers drives against Jaden Bradley (0) of the Arizona Wildcats during the second half of a Sweet 16 game in the NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena March 28, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Harry How/Getty Images)

But the Tigers didn’t let the momentum swing shake them. They kept making shots, especially down the stretch, to win the game. 

The lead was 68-63 with 2:23 left when both teams started trading buckets. PJ Hall’s free throws gave Clemson a five-point lead, but Oumar Ballo made a layup to make it a three-point game. 

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With 1:05 left, Clemson knew it needed to make Arizona miss and knock down free throws. But  Arizona's Jaden Bradley buried a 3-pointer to make it a two-point game with 52 seconds left in the game. 

All the momentum was on the Wildcats’ bench. But after a timeout, Chase Hunter had the biggest bucket of the night, knocking down a layup as he was fouled for an and-one. 

Ian Schieffelin (4) of the Clemson Tigers drives against KJ Lewis (5)