Reaching Elite Eight Only 1st Time in 44 Years, ‘Out of Form’ Clemson Upset Arizona

The Arizona Wildcats are out! In a shocking turn of events, The Clemson Tigers pulled off a major upset as they knocked down the No.2 Arizona in their Sweet 16 matchup. Despite Oumar Ballo’s valiant double-double (15 points, 15 rebounds), the Wildcats weren’t able to cope with their first-half deficit and went down 72-77 against the No.6 seeds. With this win, they will now lock horns with a spirited Alabama in the West regional finals next.

Meanwhile, the way this game turned out was quite fascinating for the fans in attendance. A successful conversion of a layup followed by a free throw by Chase Hunter (18 points) with just 25.7 seconds remaining on the clock handed Clemson their first entry to an NCAA Elite Eight contest since 1980.

Moreover, he was 8 of 15 while shooting from the field and grabbed 7 rebounds. PJ Hall also made noteworthy contributions as his 17 points proved instrumental in the end. Ian Schieffelin chipped in with his valuable 14 points.

On the other hand, the Wildcats had a miserable time in the middle as they were 5 of 28 in 3-point shooting. Moreover, they were also behind the Tigers in their field goals. There was an 11.9% gap in their field goal shooting stats by the end of the night. Sophomore guard, Jaden Bradley swung the tides in Arizona’s favor by the end. Unfortunately, his 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists were in vain.

In the meantime, the star of the show Chase Hunter couldn’t hide his elation after the game.

Chase Hunter on scripting Clemson’s historic night

The 6′ 4″ guard was grabbed by CBS soon after the Tigers accomplished this monumental feat. Expressing his joy at the win, he said, “We put in a lot of work over these last few days and we got it done. We just played gritty, and we gave it our all and we got it done. Just wanted to make a play. Wanted to get an and-one, wanted to make something happen and that’s what I did.” Indeed, the Tigers are having their own Cinderella story.

After taking down No.3 Baylor in their previous encounter, a win over another higher-ranked team in Arizona has sent shockwaves to the remaining teams. Now, they’ll face Alabama in the regional finals who earned an impressive victory over North Carolina. Once again, they’ll be entering the contest as underdogs despite the Crimson Tides’ latest heroics.

Who will be victorious in this exciting clash?

Read More- Making History Wearing Kobe Bryant’s Nike Kicks, Clemson Star Credits His Brother for Successful Night