Brad Brownell on how Clemson has slowed down Baylor offense in first half of their NCAA Tournament matchup
The Clemson Tigers came out looking strong early in the first half against the Baylor Bears in their Round of 32 matchup. A trip to the Sweet Sixteen is on the line and Clemson played some stifling defense early, forcing four turnovers. During a media timeout, college basketball expert Jon Rothstein spoke with Tigers head coach Brad Brownell about the game.
How were they able to slow the Bears’ offensive attack early? “I think we’ve done a good job offensively ourselves. Especially against the zone. Just being active. Playing long. Playing hard. It’s a long way to go. They made some threes. We’ve gotta make sure that continues,” Brownell said.
Clemson big man PJ Hall picked up two fouls in the first half. As did their other big man, Ian Schieffelin. Both spent a good chunk of minutes on the bench. But the Tigers continued to answer the bell on the offensive end, leading 28-22 with 3:23 left before the break. Clemson was scorching hot from deep, connecting on six of their 11 shots (54.5%). They also hit 13 of their 25 shots from the field (52%).
Chase Hunter had a very impressive first half, including an amazing double clutch three-pointer at the buzzer. He poured in 11 points, connecting on three of his four threes.
Clemson led the Bears 35-25 at halftime, forcing seven Baylor turnovers in the half. The Tiger defense held Baylor to one basket for the final 10 minutes of the first half.
Clemson heading to Sweet 16 for first time since 2018
The Tigers used some impressive defense to stifle the Bears’ offensive attack, and in the process prevailed 72-64 in nerve-wracking fashion. With the win, they advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
The Clemson defense forced 10 Baylor turnovers, which proved to be critical in the end. They also held the Bears to under 40 percent from the field for the game (38.9%). The Tigers were somehow able to limit Baylor, one of the nation’s top three-point shooting teams, to one of their worst outings of the year. The Bears only made 6 of 24 shots from beyond-the-arc, shooting just 25% for the game.
Up next for the Tigers, they’ll face off against the No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats. That one will take place on Thursday, March 28th. Tip-off is set for 7:09 PM EST. And the game will be nationally televised on CBS. For a look at some of the other games, you can find the schedule here.