PJ Hall declares Chase Hunter the 'best two-way guard in America'
Clemson guard Chase Hunter had games where he was inconsistent during the regular season, but the senior has been one of the best players in the country during the NCAA Tournament.
Hunter is averaging nearly 20 points per game and is a big reason why the Tigers are in the Elite Eight for only the second time in school history.
Chase Hunter has not only played well on the offensive end of the court, but he has also been stellar defensively, including helping the Tigers hold Arizona star Caleb Love to 13 points on 5-for-18 shooting in the Sweet 16. Fellow Clemson star PJ Hall had high praise for his point guard after the win over the Wildcats.
“Chase Hunter is the best two-way guard in America now,” PJ Hall said. “Y’all need to figure that out.”
Hunter has certainly made his case so far in the NCAA Tournament. He scored 21 points, with six assists in the first round against New Mexico. He finished with 20 points and six assists in the second round against Baylor. Against Arizona, Hunter led the way with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Georgia native has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in every game in the NCAA Tournament as Clemson has advanced to the Elite Eight, despite being underdogs in all three games.
As Hall said, Chase Hunter has also been excellent defensively against some really good guards. Caleb Love was 0-for-9 from 3-point range in the loss to the Tigers.
“I knew it was my match-up coming into the game. I knew he was going to get a lot of shots up and I tried to make them hard and make them not as easy for him,” Hunter said. “He started off not that well. I could see in him his confidence dropped. For me, I wanted to stay on him, and offensively I wanted to keep attacking him.”
That plan worked and helped Clemson to the Elite Eight. It doesn’t get any easier for the Tigers now, though. Up next, Clemson will face Alabama, with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
The Crimson Tide have an excellent scoring guard, too, in Mark Sears. Slowing down Sears and the Alabama offense won’t be easy, but Hunter enters the game with confidence.
As PJ Hall mentioned, the Clemson team has plenty of confidence in Hunter, too. With a win, Clemson will advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history.