Clemson basketball was on the verge of a late-game collapse in a 72-64 win against Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
The sixth-seeded Tigers (23-11) carried their momentum from their first-round win against 11th-seeded New Mexico into a 10-point lead over the Bears (24-11) at halftime and then blew a 15-point lead Took. 6:41 remaining in the game at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.
Nevertheless, Baylor almost caused trademark March Madness, going on a 20–5 run to cut the lead to two with 1:02 remaining in the game. The game was nearly tied with 36 seconds remaining, but freshman Ja’Cobe Walter, who was shooting 81% from the free-throw line, missed a two. Clemson proceeded to ice the game at the free-throw line.
“We’ve done our part the other way,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “Things worked out for us today, and sometimes that’s why basketball can be a cruel game.”
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It was there for Clemson when Chase Hunter made a double-clutch buzzer-beater 3-pointer to end the first half to give the Tigers a 35–25 lead.
“I would say it was definitely a lucky shot. Definitely lucky,” said Hunter, who led Clemson with 20 points.
Four players – Hunter, Joseph Girard III, PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin – scored in double figures. Clemson assisted on 16 of its 23 field goals and made 20 free throws, its most since February 24 against Florida State.
The Tigers got another set of quality minutes from RJ Godfrey, who took the lead in the final seconds by going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line as a 55% shooter. Chauncey Wiggins tied the most minutes played (19) off the bench this season, while Hall struggled with foul trouble. Every member of the bench unit had a positive plus-minus.
“One strength is the depth of our team and we have guys who can play anybody,” Schieffelin said.
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The Tigers went cold during Baylor’s game-changing run, committing four turnovers and making zero field goals in the final 6:41.
Hall fouled out with 36 seconds remaining, but like a coin, the Tigers’ fortunes turned with Walter’s missed free throws, which led to Clemson making six crucial throws.
“They were going to score runs. They have great players like us,” Hunter said. “But, as leaders of the team, we made sure we stayed in the rush, made sure we got stops and made big baskets when we needed to.”
The narrow win keeps Clemson dancing for another week, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2018. It has been doubted in the first two rounds and will be the underdog against No. 2 seed Arizona (27-8) on Thursday in Los Angeles (7:09 p.m., CBS).
Still, when the Tigers play their best ball they are as dangerous and capable as ever. Add a little luck and a chance to reach the Elite 8 for the first time since 1980, and they can continue to prove the critics wrong.
“Sometimes the basketball gods smile on you and today was one of those days for us,” Brownell said.
Darian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00.
