Arizona basketball shocked by Clemson in Sweet 16, eliminated from March Madness

Arizona will not be playing in the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona.

No. 6 seed Clemson shocked No. 2 seed Arizona on Thursday in the Sweet 16, 77-72, to advance to the Elite Eight on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.

It is Clemson's first Elite Eight since 1980 and just its second regional final ever.

Arizona had been attempting to make its first Elite Eight since 2015.

The Wildcats were down by as many as 13 in the first half, but rallied to tied the game at 56 in the second half. The Tigers, however, went on a run of their own to rebuild the lead and never relinquished it again, holding on for the victory.

Clemson will face No. 4 seed Alabama on Saturday, with a trip to the Final Four on April 6 on the line. Alabama upset No. 1 seed North Carolina on Thursday night, 89-87.

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More: Arizona's Tommy Lloyd questioned, slammed after Sweet 16 March Madness loss to Clemson

Clemson was 29-for-59 from the field in the game and 8-for-25 from 3-point range.

Arizona was just 25-for-67 from the field and 5-for-28 from 3-point range.

Chase Hunter had 18 points for Clemson, including a clutch basket late to seal the win.

Jaden Bradley kept Arizona in the game with 16 second-half points off the bench for the Wildcats.

Sweet 16 picks, predictions: Clemson vs Arizona | San Diego State vs UConn | Alabama vs. North Carolina | Illinois vs Iowa State | NC State vs Marquette | Gonzaga vs Purdue | Duke vs Houston | Creighton vs Tennessee | Probabilities

The Wildcats were attempting to make their first Elite Eight under coach Tommy Lloyd.

Arizona also lost in the Sweet 16 in his first season in 2022. It was upset in the first round by No. 15 seed Princeton last season.

Arizona finished the year 27-9 overall. It won the Pac-12 regular season title for the third straight year under Lloyd.

Arizona star Caleb Love, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, went just 5-for-18 from the field and 0-for-9 from 3. Pelle Larsson was 2-for-9 from the field and 1-for-6 from 3.

Final score: Clemson 77, Arizona 72

Jaden Bradley delivers for Arizona

Jaden Bradley just hit a clutch 3-pointer with 49 seconds left to pull Arizona within 72-70.

Clemson will have the ball coming out of a timeout.

Score: Clemson 72, Arizona 70 (:49 left in second half)

Clemson nears upset of Arizona in Sweet 16

The Clemson Tigers have withstood every Arizona run in the second half and hold a 72-67 lead with 57 seconds left in this game.

A win for Clemson would send the Tigers to their first Elite Eight since 1980 (and just their second ever).

Score: Clemson 72, Arizona 67 (:57 left in second half)

Arizona draws closer vs. Clemson

There is 2:23 left in this game and Clemson is at the line to attempt a couple of free throws after Jaden Bradley just picked up his fourth foul of the game for Arizona.

Bradley has provided a late spark for Arizona and has a game-high 15 points off the bench for the Wildcats.

Arizona has been forcing several 3-pointers as of late, trying to get back into this game, but it has been too early for that. The Wildcats are also just 4-for-26 from 3-point range in this game.

Score: Clemson 66, Arizona 63 (2:23 left in second half)

Arizona needs to rally vs. Clemson to advance to Elite Eight

There is 5:42 left in the second half and the Clemson Tigers hold a 65-58 lead over the Arizona Wildcats.

Arizona had tied the game at 56 with 9:55 left, but Clemson has since gone on a 9-2 run.

Does Arizona have another run in them, or will Clemson continue to withstand the Wildcats?

Score: Clemson 65, Arizona 58 (5:42 left in second half)

Fouls adding up for Clemson vs. Arizona

Fouls could play a huge part in the second half of this game.

Clemson has been called for 19 fouls in this game and Arizona has shot 25 free throw attempts as a result, making 17 of them.

Arizona has been called for 10 fouls and Clemson is 7-for-9 from the free throw line.

RJ Godfrey has four fouls for Clemson. Ian Schieffelin and PJ Hall each have three.

No Arizona player has more than two fouls.

Still, Clemson has been able to withstand every charge from Arizona so far, and has even built its lead back to five points after Arizona had tied it.

Score: Clemson 63, Arizona 58 (7:58 left in second half)

Arizona makes this a game vs. Clemson

We've got ourselves a ball game.

Arizona's hot start to the second half has tightened this game, with the Wildcats even briefly taking a lead on the Tigers after trailing by as many as 13 in the first half.

Caleb Love and Pelle Larsson, after abysmal first half performances, have helped spark Arizona.

Love is up to 11 points, while Larsson has eight.

Clemson suddenly has some foul trouble, with PJ Hall and RJ Godrey each picking up their third fouls.

Of course, Arizona needs to make some free throws in the second half to help its cause.

The Wildcats are just 7-for-15 from the free throw line in this game, although Oumar Ballo going 1-for-7 on those attempts skews the percentage.

Arizona has a 12-1 advantage in offensive rebounds in this game. It has a 15-7 advantage in fast break points.

Score: Clemson 53, Arizona 48 (11:55 left in second half)

Arizona rallies to start second half vs. Clemson

Well, that changed fast.

The Arizona Wildcats have outscored the Clemson Tigers in the second half, 11-4 to turn this game into a 1-point advantage for Clemson.

Arizona is running the ball, getting back to what has worked for it all season.

It is also making a big effort to get the ball inside to Oumar Ballo, who has responded with a couple of big baskets early in this half.

Ballo leads all Arizona players with 10 points now. He also has eight rebounds.

Where was this all first half for Arizona?

The crowd is also in this game for the Wildcats, which really helps.

Score: Clemson 43, Arizona 42 (16:33 left in second half)

Clemson takes 8-point lead into half vs. Arizona

Arizona went on a little flurry late against Clemson to pull within five, before falling behind by eight at the half.

It could be worse for the Wildcats.

Clemson was 16-for-30 from the field and 5-for-11 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes in Los Angeles.

Arizona was 13-for-32 overall and 2-for-11 from 3-point range. The Wildcats also went just 3-for-8 from the free throw line.

Tommy Lloyd's team also had eight turnovers, compared to five for Clemson.

So, maybe being down eight points isn't so bad.

The Wildcats are looking for their first Elite Eight berth since 2015. They've got a lot of work to do to earn it.

Interesting fact: Clemson has trailed for only 30 seconds in this entire NCAA Tournament.

Pelle Larsson and Caleb Love are 3-for-14 from the field for the Wildcats. That is not going to get the job done for Arizona.

They have to step up in the second half for the No. 2 seed to have a chance at winning this game.

Score: Clemson 39, Arizona 31 (halftime)

Clemson continues hot-shooting vs. Arizona

Can the Tigers keep this up?

Clemson is on fire from the field against Arizona, shooting 15-for-28 overall and 5-for-10 from 3.

It is moving the ball for easy shots and making tough ones. What a start for the Tigers.

As for Arizona, it is 10-for-28 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3.

The Wildcats could be in serious trouble if they can't start making shots. They'll be in serious trouble if Clemson keeps making shots, too.

Score: Clemson 35, Arizona 24 (2:58 left in first half)

Can Arizona offense get going vs. Clemson?

Arizona boasts one of the best offensive teams in the country, averaging 87.6 points per game, third in the nation.

It certainly doesn't look like it so far in this Sweet 16 game.

Arizona has just 20 points with 5:44 left in the first half, but the Wildcats may have just got some momentum with a big fast-break dunk from Keshad Johnson in transition.

The Arizona crowd got into it after Johnson's dunk, and Clemson called a timeout.

Can Arizona's offense get going against Clemson?

Score: Clemson 29, Arizona 20 (5:22 left in first half)

Wildcats continue to launch 3-pointers vs. Clemson (and miss them)

Arizona isn't going to stop shooting 3-pointers, even if they aren't going in.

The Wildcats are now 1-for-8 from 3-point range in this game. Not ideal.

Clemson, meanwhile, can't seem to miss from long range. The Tigers are 5-for-7 from 3-point range.

Clemson is also 11-for-19 from the field. Arizona is 6-for-21.

The Tigers have opened up a 13-point lead behind eight points from Chauncey Wiggins and seven points from Ian Schieffelin.

No Arizona player has more than three points.

Score: Clemson 27, Arizona 14 (7:16 left in first half)

Arizona struggling from the field early vs. Clemson

The Wildcats aren't just struggling from the field in this game. They are struggling to even get good looks.

Caleb Love has taken some ill-advised shots early and is just 0-for-5 from the field.

The rest of the Wildcats haven't fared much better. They are 2-for-13 overall from the field and 1-for-7 from 3.

Clemson is 7-for-13 from the field and 2-for-4 from 3. The Tigers are getting better looks, and making the most of them early in this game.

This is a great start for Clemson and obviously not a great start for Arizona.

This is the largest deficit the Wildcats have faced in the tournament. They never trailed Dayton in the second round by more than two points and Long Beach State's largest lead against Arizona in the first round was five points.

Score: Clemson 16, Arizona 6 (11:04 left in first half)

Clemson vs. Arizona game off to slow start

The Tigers vs. Wildcats game at Crypto.com Arena is off to a slow start, which you would think has to give Clemson an advantage.

The Tigers like to play at a much slower pace than the Wildcats and right now the pace, and the score, favor Clemson, the No. 6 seed in the West Region.

Clemson is 3-for-7 from the field. Arizona, the No. 2 seed in the region, is just 1-for-8.

Arizona is 1-for-6 from 3-point range, while Clemson is 0-for-2.

The Wildcats missed their first six attempts from the field.

Clemson's defense really gave Baylor issues in the second round. Can it repeat that performance against Arizona?

Score: Clemson 6, Arizona 3 (15:02 left in first half)

Clemson vs. Arizona starting lineups for Sweet 16 game

The Wildcats are going with Caleb Love, Pelle Larsson and Kylan Boswell at guards, with Keshad Johnson at forward and Oumar Ballo at center.

Clemson is starting Chase Hunter and Joseph Girard III at guard and Ian Schiefflin and Jack Clark at forward.

P.J. Hall is the starting center.

What's at stake in Clemson vs. Arizona March Madness game

The Wildcats are seeking their first trip to the Elite Eight since back-to-back appearances in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Tommy Lloyd's team advanced to the Sweet 16 in his first season in 2022, so he is seeking to advance past that round for the first time as Arizona's coach.

The Tigers last played in the Sweet 16 in 2018. They are looking for their first Elite Eight appearance since 1980, which was also the team's only Elite Eight appearance.

Clemson has lost three straight times in the Sweet 16 round since 1980: 1990, 1997 and 2018.

Interestingly, Clemson and Arizona have played in the NCAA Tournament before.

The Wildcats beat the Tigers in the second round in 1989 as a No. 1 seed, 94-68. Clemson was a No. 9 seed.

In Clemson's lone previous Elite Eight appearance in 1980, the Tigers were the No. 6 seed, which is the seed they are in the West Region of this March Madness.

The winner of this game will face the winner of No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 4 seed Alabama in the Elite Eight (West Region final) on Saturday, with the winner of that game advancing to the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona on April 6.

Arizona Wildcats Sweet 16 opponent: What to know about Clemson

Is Arizona on upset alert vs. Clemson in NCAA Tournament?

We went through a lot of picks and predictions for the Clemson vs. Arizona NCAA Tournament March Madness Sweet 16 game to try to get an idea for which team writers think have the edge on Thursday.

While most writers appear to like Arizona's chances to advance, they are split as to whether or not the Wildcats will cover the point spread.

And not everyone likes Tommy Lloyd's team in this game.

One site that is high on the Clemson Tigers getting the win Thursday is SB Nation. The site's Will Harper is predicting a 76-74 upset victory.

He wrote: “After being proven wrong against Baylor, how can I pick against our Tigers with a chance at the Elite Eight on the line? Clemson is returning to the level of play we saw early in the season, and I like to think they will remain focused for this one too. I’ll call it Clemson winning 76-74. Good luck!”

In my March Madness Sweet 16 predictions earlier this week, I picked a 77-73 Arizona win, writing: "The Tigers have impressed in wins over Baylor and New Mexico, but Arizona is on a mission after its first-round exit last year. The Wildcats will advance to their first Elite Eight since 2015."

Will Arizona advance to the Elite Eight against the Tigers or will Clemson upset the Wildcats?

We'll find out soon.

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What the odds say about Clemson vs. Arizona in March Madness

Arizona is a 7.5-point favorite in the West Region semifinal game in March Madness odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook.

The Wildcats are -350 on the moneyline. The Tigers are +260.

The over/under for the game is set at 151.5 points.

The Wildcats come in at +800 in odds to win the NCAA Tournament, which is fourth. The Tigers come in at +8500, which is 15th out of the 16 teams in the Sweet 16.

Arizona is given +110 odds to win the West Region and make the Final Four, while Clemson is at +950.

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How to watch Arizona vs Clemson in Sweet 16

When: Thursday, March 28, 4:09 p.m. Pacific time (7:09 p.m. ET)

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California

TV channel: CBS

Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst), Allie LaForce (reporter)

Streaming: FUBO

STREAM THE GAME: Watch Arizona vs. Clemson live with FUBO (free trial)

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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona basketball shocked by Clemson in Sweet 16 March Madness game