The No. 2 Arizona Wildcats take on the No. 6 Clemson Tigers in the Sweet 16. The matchup will take place on Thursday, March 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:09 p.m. ET, and the game will air on CBS.
2024 March Madness picks
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 6 Clemson best bet
Arizona (27-8) defeated No. 15 Long Beach State by 20 points in the first round and defeated No. 7 Dayton by 10 in the second round. Guards Caleb Love and Kylan Boswell have led the scoring efforts thus far for the Wildcats, who came up short in the Pac-12 Tournament this season. Arizona ranks fifth overall at KenPom and plays at an up-tempo pace, ranking seventh in the nation in possessions per game.
The Wildcats average a whopping 87.6 points per game and have a solid offensive presence both in the paint and on the perimeter. They are tough to beat on the boards, grabbing 11.3 offensive rebounds per game. Their defense has stepped up to the next level in this tournament, but they may struggle to get the pace of play they are hoping for, as Clemson manages the ball at a significantly slower rate than the Wildcats.
Clemson (23-11) entered the first round as the betting underdog against No. 11 New Mexico despite being the higher seed, but the Tigers defied expectations to win by 21 points. They pulled ahead of No. 3 Baylor in the second round, but allowed the Bears to march back toward the end of the second half. Somehow, the Tigers held onto their lead and pulled off a 72-64 win to advance to the Sweet 16. Guard Chase Hunter led the team with 20 points in the Round of 32.
Clemson has been a very interesting case study to watch this season. They are incredibly inconsistent, swinging from bad losses against bad teams to dominating performances as an underdog. As the regular season and conference tournament came to a close, Clemson looked like they would be out in the first round of March Madness. Now, they look like a team ready to march to the Final Four. Which Clemson will we get on Thursday? It’s anyone’s guess. The Tigers rank 23rd overall at KenPom, and average 77.2 points per game.
Betting lines
Thursday odds
Spread: Arizona -7.5
Total: 152.5
Moneyline: Arizona -325, Clemson +260
Opening odds
Spread: Arizona -7
Total: 152
Moneyline: Arizona -305, Clemson +245
All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best bet: Clemson +7.5
If we see the Clemson that we just saw for two straight tournament games here, the Tigers will have no problems covering the spread against this Arizona team. If we see the Clemson that was on the court at the beginning of the month, they’re going to get laughed out of the tournament. I’m betting on March Madness Clemson here, as I think the other shoe is certainly going to drop for Arizona at some point this weekend. If the Tigers can force Arizona to play at their pace and pay for any mistakes, they’ll be heading to the Elite Eight.