The Clemson Tigers are set to square off with the Arizona Wildcats on Thursday in the first Sweet 16 matchup of the weekend. Clemson comes into this one white hot, while Arizona has been one of the best teams all season.
The Tigers were underdogs in both of their tournament wins and won both in convincing fashion. They beat New Mexico 77-56 and Baylor 72-64. The Tigers controlled most of the game vs. Baylor and were able to thwart off a late game comeback. They have mainly relied on their defense to get them this far. They held New Mexico to just 13% shooting and Baylor to 25%. They will have to bring their A game on Thursday against the Wildcats.
Arizona is on a mission to move on from last year’s loss to Princeton. So far they have done that with impressive showings against Long Beach State and Dayton. Their defense has been looking stout, as well. They have held their opponents to 36% field goal percentage in the first two games. They are very good on offense, as well. They are 2md in the country in fastbreak points and 25th in effective field goal percentage. The Wildcats will be looking to advance to their first Elite Eight since 2015.
