No. 6 seed Clemson and No. 2 seed Arizona play Thursday, March 28 in an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
The winner of the game will advance to the Elite Eight West Region final of March Madness on Saturday, March 30.
Clemson defeated No. 3 seed Baylor in the second round, 72-64. Arizona beat No. 7 seed Dayton, 78-68.
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.
Follow our live Arizona Wildcats vs. Clemson Tigers NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game coverage for the latest news, scores, updates and analysis on the March Madness game.
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 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 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)
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.
PJ Hall is the starting center.
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 team 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
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.
Clemson vs. Arizona Sweet 16 picks: Who wins March Madness game?
March Madness Sweet 16 picks: Predictions for NCAA Tournament regional semifinal games
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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When: Thursday, March 28, 4:09 pm Pacific time (7:09 pm ET)
Onde: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV channels: 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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Tags: Arizona Clemson Sweet March Madness game live updates scores
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