By Sam Walters
The road to the Final Four extends for the Clemson Tigers, as their win against the Baylor Bears on Sunday, March 24, moves them into the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2018. After the win, the team immediately departed from Memphis and headed out to Los Angeles, California, where they are set to take on the #2 Arizona Wildcats.
After the disappointing loss to Boston College early in the ACC Tournament, a game that finished 77-56, the Tigers (23-11, 11-9 ACC) were placed as a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, returning to the dance for the first time since 2021. It wouldn’t come easy for Clemson, who faced a hot New Mexico (26-10, 10-8 Mountain West) team.
Chase Hunter had a redemption game, leading the Tigers to the Round 32 against the #3 Baylor Bears. Hunter's fantastic play and clutch performances from RJ Godfrey and others helped them achieve the impossible. Clemson shocked Baylor with Godfrey’s clutch free throws, sinking 4/4 with little time left to seal the win. In those two games combined, Hunter has recorded 41 points and 12 assists, taking charge when foul trouble plagued starters Ian Schieffelin and PJ Hall, and Godfrey has found himself coming up big when the Tigers need him.
Arizona (27-8, 16-6 PAC-12) presents a more substantial challenge for the Tigers. The Wildcats, the top-ranked team in the PAC-12, are the third-highest-scoring team in college basketball, averaging 87.6 points per game. Additionally, they average the second most rebounds per game (42.5) and fourth highest in assists per game (18.6). They are led by star guard Caleb Love, who averages over 18 points per game, and center Oumar Ballo, who averages nearly 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats.
“He's definitely come into his own this year,” PJ Hall said of Caleb Love. “He's having a great year, one of his best statistics years as well. It's incredible to watch. I can kind of keep track of him from afar after playing against him for a couple of years."
While Baylor was a team with a high-firing offense, the Wildcats are among the top teams in the Tournament all around. Arizona has proven to be a high-consistency and well-rounded team that is very hard to knock off. Winners of the PAC-12 regular season and the previous two conference tournament championships, the Wildcats are an elevated threat that can strike with any part of their play. However, with the recent performances from the Tigers, a trip to the Elite Eight for Clemson is not out of sight.
“This team, like most, super dynamic offensively,” head coach Brad Brownell said ahead of their game against Arizona. “Really good inside-out offense, a little bit like we play. We're very familiar with Caleb Love and obviously how good a player he is from his time at Carolina. I know it will be a raucous crowd with a lot of Arizona fans."
Many factors will prove to be crucial in this game. As they showed in the early parts of the season, the Tigers will have to continue their defensive stand against a high-scoring team like Arizona. Utilizing hot scorers like Chase Hunter and Joseph Girard III will also be vital in creating runs.
A noted topic of this season, which has plagued the Tigers and resulted in unnecessary losses and close finishes, is the turnover battle. Clemson has lost that battle for much of the year, but in this year’s tournament, they have controlled possessions better and cut down on turnovers. One battle that is still being fought is with foul trouble. PJ Hall fouled out in their outing against Baylor after only playing for nearly 20 minutes, and fouls kept Hall under 19 minutes against the Lobos. While players like Godfrey and Chauncey Wiggins have stepped up in his absence, Hall could change the game significantly if he could find a way to reduce his fouls.
Will the Tigers reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980? Will the Wildcats hold steady against their hot adversary? Fans will find out when Clemson takes on Arizona at 7:09 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, in Los Angeles, California.
Be sure to tune in to pregame coverage of the game at 6:39 p.m. on The ROAR!
