Of the four second-round matchups in the West, the Clemson Tigers ended up being the upset makers. The school, ranked sixth, faced Baylor, who were third, and defeated them 72-64. The Arizona Wildcats had to deal with the Dayton Flyers and did so admirably, winning 78-68.

The higher-seeded Wildcats are viewed as favourites as per our March Madness odds. Arizona is -7.5 against the spread.

Clemson Tigers vs. Arizona Wildcats NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting

There isn’t a ton of history between Clemson and Arizona. The schools have only met twice and both matchups were a while ago in 2011 and 2012. The Wildcats emerged victorious on both occasions.

Clemson hasn’t made it to the Sweet Sixteen very often, accomplishing the feat four times in their history. They won the very first way back in 1980, but have fallen in the last three, most recently in 2018 to Kansas. The Tigers have covered the spread in their two March Madness contests both times as underdogs. That said, the covers were fairly narrow (4.5 and 2).

Arizona, a very storied program, has no shortage of history at this stage of the competition. This year marks their 20^th Sweet Sixteen participation, with 11 wins under their belt. However, the last win was nine years ago in 2015.  As competition grows fiercer, the harder it is to cover spreads. All knockout round games considered (March Madness and conference playoffs), the Wildcats are 2-1-1 ATS.

Sports Interaction has some player props concerning Arizona’s Caleb Love, who has been excellent in the tournament thus far. A 25 or even 20-point game might be asking a lot, but 15 and 18 seem feasible. Clemson’s Chase Hunter has been on a heater as well through two games.

Clemson Tigers (6)

Speaking of Hunter, he was a major contributor in Clemson’s upset win over Baylor this weekend. He led his side with 20 points and hit some critical three-point shots, none more so than his desperation one just before halftime. It sent a message to Baylor that they were in some trouble.

This game was a contrast in styles. The Bears made the nicer-looking individual plays, the highlight-reel-worthy ones, but Clemson played wonderful team basketball. At this stage of the season, the latter counts for a lot more. Case in point, the Tigers compiled 16 assists, whereas Baylor only tallied seven. Clemson’s defence made it tough for Baylor all game long, as they only shot 25 per cent. Clemon’s 35 per cent wasn’t great, but still enough for the win. Joseph Girard III had 13 points and both PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin has 11.

Arizona Wildcats (2)

Despite appearances, the 78-68 Arizona victory over Dayton was a very fun game. There hadn’t been a match in the West bracket thus far with as many smash-mouth, slam dunk plays as this one. This was the contest that most resembled something akin to NBA action.

Special mention to substitute Jaden Bradley, who came off the bench for 27 minutes and put in 12 points and four rebounds. Caleb Love was once again the biggest threat on the attack with 19 points, although Pelle Larsson has carved himself a nice reputation in this tournament. He had the most assists with six, the most boards with seven, and tallied 13 points.

Who Will Win Tigers vs. Wildcats?

TIGERS

Away

70

WILDCATS

Home

75

Score
Predictions

Matchup