Clemson Hits the Brink of History with Sweet 16 Upset of Arizona

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The allure of March Madness is not found in the favorites.

Sure, the earliest window of Sweet 16 games featured top-seeded Connecticut steamrolling San Diego State in a rematch of last season’s national championship. There went the Huskies, taking one more comfortable step toward cutting down the nets.

No, the Big Dance is beloved for its underdogs.

Clemson, for the third straight game of the 2024 men’s NCAA tournament, has embraced that title. The unsuspecting six-seed outplayed the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats and secured a program-defining 77-72 triumph in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Bleacher Report @BleacherReportNO. 6 CLEMSON TAKES DOWN NO. 2 ARIZONA 🤯

TIGERS ARE HEADED TO THE ELITE EIGHT❗️ pic.twitter.com/HVDYngh98u

Led by All-ACC standout PJ Hall, Clemson is headed to the Elite Eight for only the second time in team history.

The other appearance? It happened in 1980.

Clemson did not—well, does not—have a convincing background to forecast a deep run. While the Tigers notched a No. 6 seed, they finished fifth—one spot behind Pitt, which fell on the wrong side of the bubble—in what was considered a down ACC this season.

In the first round, 11th-seeded New Mexico was a slight favorite over Clemson. So too were third-seeded Baylor in the second round and Arizona in the Sweet 16.

But the Tigers haven’t just survived and advanced. No, they’ve thrived.

Clemson fell behind New Mexico for exactly 30 seconds—all in the opening minute of a 21-point rout. Baylor never held an edge on Brad Brownell’s squad, and Arizona’s lone advantage lasted 20 seconds.

If you’re keeping track, that would be a grand total of 50 seconds trailing in three victories as an underdog.

C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

As a result, an ACC school has a chance to make program history in the men’s tourney for a second straight year. Miami reached its first-ever Final Four in 2023, and Clemson could follow suit in 2024.

The opponent—Alabama or conference foe North Carolina—will be decided later on Thursday. In all likelihood, the Tigers won’t be handed “favorite” status in either matchup.

But be careful about considering them a true underdog.

Back in November, Clemson took down Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Fast-forward to February, and the Tigers went into Chapel Hill and knocked off UNC. Don’t expect them to get scared now.

No matter what happens Saturday night, however, the future of the program became undeniably clearer.

In short: Brownell’s perpetual hot seat is a whole lot cooler.

When he took control of the Tigers in 2010-11, Brownell guided them to March Madness that season. However, they didn’t play in the NCAA tourney for six straight years. Brownell opened the 2017-18 with seemingly minimal job security, but Clemson landed a No. 5 seed, reached the Sweet 16 and protected his place on the sideline.

And then, Clemson went two years without a trip to the Big Dance—only to save Brownell with a No. 7 seed in 2021. And then, Clemson had another two-year NCAA drought leading into this season.

Brownell has fought off the hot-seat demons yet again.

Brad BrownellC. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

There is no time to relax, of course. His near future is secured, but Brownell and the Tigers won’t be focused on that.

For every player, for Brownell and most Clemson basketball fans, they’ve never experienced higher stakes. Saturday’s showdown in Los Angeles is a chance for the program to reach an unparalleled stage.

While the roster is not a star-less group—Hall certainly fits that billing—there isn’t a wealth of future NBA draft picks. Among the eight Tigers who entered the victory over Arizona, only two are transfers. This is largely a homegrown crew of Hall and lesser-recruited players.

Underdogs don’t care about their background, though. March Madness doesn’t discriminate against them, either.

Clemson has become a thorn at the perfect moment, and one more upset would lock in the upstart 2023-24 team as the single-most accomplished squad in program history.