Clemson basketball is going back to the Elite Eight.
The sixth-seeded Tigers (24-11) jumped out to a double-digit first half lead, then held 2-seed Arizona at bay late with stifling defense to win 77-72 in Los Angeles.
Chase Hunter led the Tigers with 18 points, including a critical three-point play in the final minute after Arizona cut the Clemson lead to three.
MORE:Watch Clemson basketball vs. Arizona in March Madness on Fubo (free trial)
The winner of this game will advance to the Elite Eight on Saturday to battle the winner between No. 1 North Carolina and No. 4 Alabama in Los Angeles.
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Clemson basketball live score updates vs. Arizona
FINAL: Clemson is headed to the Elite Eight!
Jaden Bradley’s missed 3-pointer is no good, and Chase Hunter dribbles it out.
The Clemson Tigers are headed to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history!
Some player stats…..
- Chase Hunter: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
- PJ Hall: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal
- Ian Schieffelin: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
- Joe Girard III: 4 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
The Hunter Brothers close the game out with a pair of and-ones in the final minute
Jaden Bradley hits a 3-pointer to cut the Clemson lead to two, but Chase Hunter lets the clock run to under 30 seconds and then gets a layup to go while being fouled. Free throw good, and the Tigers led 75-70.
After a Caleb Love floater, Joe Girard gets the initial inbounds pass and chucks it to Dillon Hunter who is wide open in the frontcourt. He gets a layup to go while being fouled, and Clemson is nearly there with 9 seconds left.
Clemson 72, Arizona 67 with 57 seconds left | BLOB again works well for the Tigers
PJ Hall gets a dunk on a baseline out-of-bounds play out of a timeout, at least the third easy basket for the Tigers on a BLOB play today.
Clemson 66, Arizona 63 with 2:23 left | Tigers holding on
Jaden Bradley has the last five points for Arizona, and it’s a tight game late.
Clemson hasn’t made a shot in the last five minutes, but is in the bonus. If the Tigers made free throws like they did in Memphis, they should feel pretty good about their chances. PJ Hall is at the line following the final media timeout.
Clemson 65, Arizona 58 with 5:42 left | Tigers defense is playing well
Arizona has missed its last nine shots and hasn’t scored in three minutes, and any nerves won’t calm given the circumstances.
One thing Clemson opponents should not do is forget about PJ Hall.
Clemson 63, Arizona 58 with 7:58 left | Tigers standing tall in a foul fest
Clemson has committed 11 fouls in the second half, so Arizona is in the double bonus. But the Tigers have continued to answer offensively. Ian Schieffelin hit a banked-in 3-pointer during that stint and is up to 14 points, as is Chase Hunter. Schieffelin does have three fouls, as does PJ Hall. RJ Godfrey has four fouls.
Arizona hasn’t made a shot in over six and a half minutes of game time, but it has stayed alive via the free throw line.
Clemson 53, Arizona 48 with 11:55 left | Clemson regains the lead
A steal and Caleb Love layup gave Arizona the lead briefly, but the Tigers have responded with a 8-3 stretch.
Joe Girard knocked down a 3-pointer, his first made shot of the game. If he can hit a couple more, that could be enough to withstand the growing foul problem. PJ Hall picked up three fouls in the first six minutes and has had to sit. Ian Schieffelin has two fouls, both in the second half. R.J. Godfrey has three fouls. Arizona will be shooting free throws the rest of the game.
Clemson 43, Arizona 43 with 15:52 left | Arizona goes on a run
Arizona gets running and compiles an 8-0 run to tie the game heading into the under-16 timeout.
The Tigers need to play through the physical Arizona defense and work through Hall and Schieffelin.
Halftime: Clemson 39, Arizona 31
Clemson leads by 8 at the half after another excellent first half in the NCAA Tournament. R.J. Godfrey and Chauncey Wiggins have two fouls but have 13 combined points in a nice boost off the bench. More importantly: Ian Schieffelin and PJ Hall have zero fouls.
Schieffelin leads with 9 points while Chase Hunter and Wiggins have eight points each. PJ Hall has seven points.
Arizona has eight offensive rebounds as Clemson has to deal with Oumar Ballo, who had a eyebrow-raising alley-oop near the end of the half.
The Wildcats are 2-of-11 from 3 so far.
Clemson has led by double digits at some point in the first half in all three tournament games.
Clemson 35, Arizona 24 with 3:24 left in the first half | Clemson answers an Arizona mini-run
Arizona was able to turn up the tempo for a few possessions and clawed to within seven, but Clemson scores four straight and gets the ball after a Caleb Love turnover following the final media timeout of the half.
PJ Hall was not on the floor for the Arizona mini-run, returned and immediately scored against a smaller defender on the low block. Clemson’s scoring has been balanced in the first half, but still no points or shot attempts by Joe Girard.
Clemson 27, Arizona 14 with 7:14 left in the first half | Chauncey Wiggins gives scoring boost off the bench
Clemson’s Chauncey Wiggins has eight points on 3-of-3 shooting, including two 3-pointers and a nice little floater on a BLOB.
PJ Hall is on the scoreboard with five points but has missed some solid looks. Joe Girard is scoreless but has been key with three rebounds and three assists.
Arizona’s Caleb Love is 1-of-7 from the field with two turnovers. 9 of Arizona’s points are second chance opportunities, so something to note throughout the final 27 minutes.
Clemson 16, Arizona 6 with 11:04 left in the first half | Clemson on a 10-2 run
R.J Godfrey and Chauncey Wiggins have both hit 3-pointers off the bench, contributing to a 10-2 Clemson run.
The Tigers defense has been outstanding, as active as they’ve defended all year. That’s how Clemson can lead by 10 without a point from PJ Hall.
Clemson 6, Arizona 3 with 15:02 left in the first half | Good start for the Tigers
Chase Hunter has four points and a steal early as Clemson leads at the first media timeout. PJ Hall is 0-for-2 to start; it’s interesting that Arizona 7-footer Oumar Ballo is defending Ian Schieffelin instead of Hall to begin the game.
Arizona had three turnovers in that first stint against Clemson’s active defense.
Clemson-Arizona starting lineups: Tigers lineup unchanged
The starting lineups for both teams….
- Clemson: G Joe Girard III, G Chase Hunter, F Jack Clark, F Ian Schieffelin, F PJ Hall
- Arizona: G Caleb Love, G Pelle Larsson, G Kylan Boswell, F Keshad Johnson, C Oumar Ballo
Love, the UNC transfer, averaged 14.0 points and 3.0 assists in three games against the Tigers while with the Tar Heels.
What channel is Clemson vs Arizona on today? How to watch, stream live
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: NCAA March Madness Live app | Fubo (free trial)
Clemson vs Arizona start time, TV info, location
- Date: Thursday, March 28
- Time: 7:09 p.m. ET
- Venue: Crytpo.com Arena, Los Angeles
Clemson basketball schedule 2024
If the Tigers win, they will battle:
- the winner of No. 1 seed North Carolina vs. No. 4 seed Alabama in the Elite Eight in Los Angeles.
If the Tigers lose, their 2023-24 season will be over.
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