Los Angeles (AP) – Chase Hunter scored 18 points and converted a three-point play with 25.7 seconds remaining, and Clemson defeated Arizona 77-72 in the West Region semifinals on Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight for the second time in school history.
PJ Hall added 17 points for the sixth-seeded Tigers (24-11), who advance to face either top-seeded North Carolina or No. 4 seed Alabama.
Clemson last reached the final eight in 1980, when there were 48 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Brad Brownell was making his second appearance in the second weekend of March Madness in his 14 seasons with the Tigers.
“We’ve struggled with a lot of things. This is a great moment for Clemson basketball,” Brownell said.
jaden bradley scored 18 points, Omar Ballo there were 15 more caleb love 13 for second-seeded Arizona (27-9), which had a terrible shooting night, going 5 of 28 (17.9%) from 3-point range. Love missed all nine of his attempts from beyond the arc as the Wildcats failed to reach the Elite Eight for the 12th time overall and first since 2015.
wildcats coach tommy lloyd Eliminated from the Sweet 16 for the second time in its three seasons.
Bradley’s 3-pointer got Arizona within 72–70, Hunter put it out of reach while driving for a layup while being fouled by Bradley. Hunter’s free throw made it a five-point game.
“I just wanted to make a play. At the end of the day, I wanted to get to the basket, get an and-1, make something happen, and that’s what I did.”
highlight reel
Bellow provided one of Arizona’s rare highlights with a one-handed dunk on an alley-oop at the end of the first half. Bradley delivered a great pass from the corner in traffic before Bullow slammed it in with his right hand to bring the Wildcats within 37–31 with 56 seconds remaining. Hunter tried to deflect Bradley’s pass by jumping, but to no avail.
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Clemson: The Tigers had dropped three of four entering March Madness, including a loss to Boston College in the first round of the ACC Tournament. They were one of four ACC teams to reach the Sweet 16, and will now try to advance to the Final Four for the first time.
Arizona: All of the Wildcats’ points came on layups or dunks inside the 3-point line. Bradley went 2 of 4 from 3-point range, but no one made more than one 3. Pelle Larsson was 1 of 6 from beyond the arc and finished with eight points.
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