Clemson reaches the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980, beating Arizona 77-72
LOS ANGELES (AP) When Clemson has encountered rough stretches this season, coach Brad Brownell has told his team, “We're built for this, we can handle this.”
In their biggest game of the season Thursday night, the Tigers proved their coach correct.
Chase Hunter scored 18 points and Clemson advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time in school history, beating Arizona 77-72 in a West Region semifinal on Thursday night.
The sixth-seeded Tigers (24-11) led most of the game, but didn't put it away until Hunter converted a three-point play with 25.7 seconds remaining.
“We have confidence in our team,” said Brownell, who's in the Elite Eight for the first time in a 22-year coaching career that includes one previous Sweet 16 appearance in 14 seasons with the Tigers. “I’ve got an older team. These guys have seen a lot, done a lot and experienced success. And so just really happy that they were able to withstand it, and we executed some things really well down the stretch.”
PJ Hall added 17 points for Clemson, which will face No. 4 seed Alabama on Saturday with each program seeking to make its first Final Four. The Crimson Tide beat top-seeded North Carolina 89-87.
Clemson - which wasn't in the March Madness field the previous two years - last reached a regional final in 1980, when there were 48 teams in the NCAA Tournament.
Jaden Bradley scored 18 points, Oumar Ballo had 15 and Caleb Love 13 for second-seeded Arizona (27-9), which had a horrific shooting night, going 5 of 28 (17.9%) from 3-point range.
Bradley went 2 of 4 from 3-point range, but no one else made more than one 3. Love missed all nine of his attempts beyond the arc.
“I feel like some of them were good looks and shots we’ve made all season, and today they just didn’t go in,” said coach Tommy Lloyd, who was ousted in the Sweet 16 for the second time in his three seasons at Arizona. “To have that sort of shooting night and get yourself in the game where you have a position to win, and I think it’s incredible. And it just shows the resiliency and toughness of these guys.”
The Tigers have held all three of their NCAA opponents to worse than 40% shooting. It was the second time they held a team under 20% from the perimeter; New Mexico went 3 for 23 in the first round.
“Limiting rhythm 3s and good open 3s was a huge key to the game,” Hall said.
After Bradley’s 3-pointer got Arizona within 72-70, Hunter put it out of reach when he drove 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," Hunter said. "At the end of the day, I wanted to get to the basket, wanted to get an and-one, wanted to make something happen, and that’s what I did.”
The Wildcats had the edge in the paint and in transition, with all of their two-point field goals coming on layups or dunks, but the Tigers were 29 of 59 from the field (49.2%).
Ian Schieffelin finished with 14 points and Hunter's brother, Dillon, made a layup for the final margin, his only basket of the game. Joseph Girard III, Clemson's second-leading scorer, was held to four points.
Clemson led 39-31 at halftime. The Tigers were still up by eight two minutes into the second half before the Wildcats went on a quick 8-0 run. Love's three-point play tied it at 43-all with 16:43 remaining.
Two minutes later, a driving layup by Love gave Arizona its only lead, 46-45. But the Wildcats’ edge lasted only 20 seconds as Jack Clark hit a 3-pointer to put Clemson back on top.
It was tied at 56-all midway through the second half before Clemson responded with a 9-2 run, including a layup by Hall and a 3-pointer by Schieffelin.
“We harp on toughness. In the beginning we weren’t so tough, but I feel at the end we did a great job battling and trying to get stops,” Bradley said. “But Clemson did a great job with their plays and their shot-making, and we couldn’t really get over the hump.”
Clemson scored the first four points and jumped out to a 16-6 lead less than nine minutes in on RJ Godfrey’s turnaround jumper. The Tigers started 7 of 13 from the field while Arizona was 2 of 13.
Hall’s layup gave Clemson a 29-16 advantage - its largest lead of the game - with 6:43 remaining in the first half.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Ballo supplied one of Arizona’s rare highlights late in the first half with a one-handed dunk on an alley-oop. Bradley made a great pass from the corner in traffic before Ballo slammed it with his right hand to bring the Wildcats within 37-31 with 56 seconds remaining. Chase Hunter tried to jump up and deflect Bradley’s pass, but to no avail.
BIG PICTURE
Clemson: The Tigers were also a sixth seed in the West Region the last time they made the Elite Eight in 1980. Clemson lost to eventual national runner-up UCLA 85-74 in the regional final.
Arizona: The Wildcats have lost to a team seeded at least four spots below them in each of their last six NCAA Tournament appearances. That’s the longest such streak by any team since seeding began in 1979, according to OptaSTATS.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | PJ Hall vs. Oumar Ballo (Wildcats gains possession) | |||
19:44 | Pelle Larsson turnover (bad pass) | |||
19:27 | PJ Hall misses two point layup | |||
19:25 | Oumar Ballo defensive rebound | |||
19:18 | Caleb Love misses two point layup | |||
19:16 | Joseph Girard III defensive rebound | |||
19:10 | Jack Clark turnover (bad pass) (Caleb Love steals) | |||
18:59 | Caleb Love turnover (bad pass) (Chase Hunter steals) | |||
18:54 | +2 | Chase Hunter makes two point layup | 2-0 | |
18:39 | Kylan Boswell misses three point jump shot | |||
18:37 | Tigers defensive rebound | |||
18:22 | +2 | Ian Schieffelin makes two point jump shot | 4-0 | |
17:58 | Pelle Larsson misses three point jump shot | |||
17:56 | Keshad Johnson offensive rebound | |||
17:44 | Pelle Larsson misses three point jump shot | |||
17:42 | Joseph Girard III defensive rebound | |||
17:37 | PJ Hall misses three point jump shot | |||
17:35 | Oumar Ballo defensive rebound | |||
17:26 | Keshad Johnson misses three point jump shot | |||
17:24 | Ian Schieffelin defensive rebound | |||
17:06 | Jack Clark misses two point layup | |||
17:04 | Keshad Johnson defensive rebound | |||
16:45 | Pelle Larsson turnover (bad pass) (Ian Schieffelin steals) | |||
16:28 | Ian Schieffelin misses three point jump shot | |||
16:26 | Caleb Love defensive rebound | |||
16:20 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
16:18 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
16:14 | +3 | Kylan Boswell makes three point jump shot (Oumar Ballo assists) | 4-3 | |
15:44 | +2 | Chase Hunter makes two point layup (Jack Clark assists) | 6-3 | |
15:32 | Oumar Ballo misses two point hook shot | |||
15:30 | PJ Hall defensive rebound | |||
15:08 | Chase Hunter turnover (bad pass) (Keshad Johnson steals) | |||
15:02 | Joseph Girard III shooting foul (Pelle Larsson draws the foul) | |||
15:02 | TV timeout | |||
15:02 | +1 | Pelle Larsson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 6-4 | |
15:02 | Pelle Larsson misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
15:02 | Jack Clark defensive rebound | |||
14:36 | +2 | Ian Schieffelin makes two point jump shot | 8-4 | |
14:21 | RJ Godfrey personal foul (Motiejus Krivas draws the foul) | |||
14:21 | Jaden Bradley turnover (bad pass) (Ian Schieffelin steals) | |||
14:21 | +3 | RJ Godfrey makes three point jump shot (Jack Clark assists) | 11-4 | |
14:21 | +2 | Pelle Larsson makes two point layup (Keshad Johnson assists) | 11-6 | |
13:23 | Jaden Bradley blocks Ian Schieffelin's two point layup | |||
13:21 | Jaden Bradley defensive rebound | |||
13:05 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
12:58 | Tigers defensive rebound | |||
12:43 | Chase Hunter misses two point jump shot | |||
12:41 | Motiejus Krivas defensive rebound | |||
12:33 | Caleb Love misses two point jump shot | |||
12:31 | Motiejus Krivas offensive rebound | |||
12:14 | Caleb Love misses two point jump shot | |||
12:12 | Tigers defensive rebound | |||
11:59 | +3 | Chauncey Wiggins makes three point jump shot (Chase Hunter assists) | 14-6 | |
11:37 | Jaden Bradley misses two point jump shot | |||
11:35 | Chase Hunter defensive rebound | |||
11:17 | +2 | RJ Godfrey makes two point jump shot | 16-6 | |
11:04 | Chase Hunter personal foul (Kylan Boswell draws the foul) | |||
11:04 | TV timeout | |||
10:50 | KJ Lewis misses two point jump shot | |||
10:48 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
10:44 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point layup | 16-8 | |
10:33 | KJ Lewis personal foul (Dillon Hunter draws the foul) | |||
10:22 | PJ Hall misses two point jump shot | |||
10:20 | Kylan Boswell defensive rebound | |||
10:12 | RJ Godfrey personal foul (Oumar Ballo draws the foul) | |||
10:08 | Oumar Ballo turnover (back court violation) | |||
9:55 | +3 | Ian Schieffelin makes three point jump shot (Joseph Girard III assists) | 19-8 | |
9:36 | +2 | KJ Lewis makes two point dunk (Jaden Bradley assists) | 19-10 | |
9:27 | Pelle Larsson personal foul (Ian Schieffelin draws the foul) | |||
9:25 | +2 | Chauncey Wiggins makes two point jump shot (Chase Hunter assists) | 21-10 | |
9:13 | Chase Hunter blocks Oumar Ballo's two point dunk | |||
9:11 | Keshad Johnson offensive rebound | |||
9:10 | +2 | Keshad Johnson makes two point layup | 21-12 | |
9:10 | Official timeout | |||
8:57 | Joseph Girard III turnover (traveling) | |||
8:41 | Pelle Larsson misses three point jump shot | |||
8:39 | Chase Hunter defensive rebound | |||
8:23 | +3 | PJ Hall makes three point jump shot (Joseph Girard III assists) | 24-12 | |
8:04 | Kylan Boswell misses two point jump shot | |||
8:02 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
7:49 | +2 | Caleb Love makes two point layup | 24-14 | |
7:30 | PJ Hall misses two point jump shot | |||
7:28 | Keshad Johnson defensive rebound | |||
7:24 | Caleb Love turnover (bad pass) (PJ Hall steals) | |||
7:17 | +3 | Chauncey Wiggins makes three point jump shot (Joseph Girard III assists) | 27-14 | |
7:16 | Wildcats 30 second timeout | |||
7:08 | +2 | Motiejus Krivas makes two point layup (Keshad Johnson assists) | 27-16 | |
6:48 | +2 | PJ Hall makes two point layup (Chase Hunter assists) | 29-16 | |
6:33 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
6:31 | Joseph Girard III defensive rebound | |||
6:28 | PJ Hall misses three point jump shot | |||
6:26 | Motiejus Krivas defensive rebound | |||
6:07 | TV timeout | |||
5:59 | Chauncey Wiggins shooting foul (Pelle Larsson draws the foul) | |||
5:59 | +1 | Pelle Larsson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-17 | |
5:59 | +1 | Pelle Larsson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-18 | |
5:49 | Motiejus Krivas blocks Chase Hunter's two point layup | |||
5:47 | Jaden Bradley defensive rebound | |||
5:44 | +2 | Keshad Johnson makes two point dunk (Jaden Bradley assists) | 29-20 | |
5:42 | Tigers 30 second timeout | |||
5:23 | Chauncey Wiggins misses two point jump shot | |||
5:21 | Jaden Bradley defensive rebound | |||
5:10 | +2 | Jaden Bradley makes two point layup | 29-22 | |
5:10 | Chauncey Wiggins shooting foul (Jaden Bradley draws the foul) | |||
5:10 | Jaden Bradley misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
5:10 | Ian Schieffelin defensive rebound | |||
4:52 | +2 | PJ Hall makes two point hook shot | 31-22 | |
4:36 | +2 | Caleb Love makes two point jump shot | 31-24 | |
4:18 | Chase Hunter misses three point jump shot | |||
4:16 | PJ Hall offensive rebound | |||
4:16 | Jaden Bradley personal foul (PJ Hall draws the foul) | |||
4:10 | +2 | Jack Clark makes two point layup (Dillon Hunter assists) | 33-24 | |
3:53 | Jaden Bradley misses two point layup | |||
3:51 | PJ Hall defensive rebound | |||
3:41 | +2 | Chase Hunter makes two point jump shot | 35-24 | |
3:24 | Caleb Love turnover (out of bounds) | |||
3:24 | TV timeout | |||
3:13 | Ian Schieffelin misses three point jump shot | |||
3:11 | Wildcats defensive rebound | |||
2:59 | Pelle Larsson misses two point layup | |||
2:57 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
2:57 | Dillon Hunter shooting foul (Oumar Ballo draws the foul) | |||
2:57 | Oumar Ballo misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
2:57 | Oumar Ballo misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
2:57 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
2:55 | Jack Clark personal foul (Oumar Ballo draws the foul) | |||
2:55 | Oumar Ballo misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
2:55 | Ian Schieffelin defensive rebound | |||
2:38 | Chase Hunter turnover (bad pass) | |||
2:28 | +3 | KJ Lewis makes three point jump shot (Pelle Larsson assists) | 35-27 | |
2:17 | Chase Hunter turnover (lost ball) (KJ Lewis steals) | |||
2:10 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point dunk (KJ Lewis assists) | 35-29 | |
1:41 | +2 | Chase Hunter makes two point layup (Joseph Girard III assists) | 37-29 | |
1:33 | Oumar Ballo offensive foul (PJ Hall draws the foul) | |||
1:33 | Oumar Ballo turnover (offensive foul) | |||
1:24 | Joseph Girard III misses three point jump shot | |||
1:22 | Oumar Ballo defensive rebound | |||
1:00 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jaden Bradley assists) | 37-31 | |
0:32 | Pelle Larsson shooting foul (Ian Schieffelin draws the foul) | |||
0:32 | +1 | Ian Schieffelin makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-31 | |
0:32 | +1 | Ian Schieffelin makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-31 | |
0:05 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
0:03 | Chase Hunter defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |