Clemson vs. Baylor in NCAA Tournament second round: How to watch, TV channel
After its first March Madness win since 2018, the Clemson men’s basketball team keeps on dancing into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 6 seed Tigers are set to face No. 3 seed Baylor in the round of 32 on Sunday night (6:10 p.m., TNT) in Memphis with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
Here’s what to know.
Clemson MBB vs. Baylor game info
Who: No. 6 seed Clemson (22-11) vs. No. 3 seed Baylor (24-10)
Where: FedExForum, Memphis
When: 6:10 p.m. Sunday
TV: TNT
Radio: 105.5 FM locally (see full list of affiliates here)
Stream: Via tntdrama.com
Betting line: Baylor by 4.5 points (VegasInsider)
Next up: The winner of Clemson-Baylor will play No. 2 Arizona in a West Regional semifinal (Sweet 16) game on March 28. Arizona beat No. 7 Dayton, 78-68, on Saturday to advance.
Tigers ‘certainly notice’ underdog status
Clemson’s core is an experienced, steady group. Senior center PJ Hall is in his fourth season with the program. Chase Hunter is in his fifth. Joe Girard III, a Syracuse transfer, has been playing basketball in the ACC since 2019.
“They’re more concerned with being prepared and trying to play great basketball,” coach Brad Brownell said Saturday.
But when it comes to bulletin-board material?
“We certainly notice it,” Brownell said.
So, yes, there was a little extra competitive fuel leading into Clemson’s 77-56 drubbing of No. 11 seed New Mexico on Friday. The Tigers were a betting underdog and, according to one top-10 rankings list that Brownell saw, the most “guaranteed upset” in the first round.
“I certainly mentioned it to our players,” Brownell said.
In a 21-point win over the Lobos, Clemson left little room for doubt and became the only No. 6 seed (out of four) to win its first-round matchup with a No. 11 seed. Rival South Carolina lost to Oregon, BYU lost to Duquesne and Texas Tech lost to NC State.
Facing a No. 3 seed as a more expected underdog, Clemson can’t exactly play the disrespect card. But the Tigers are an underdog all the same.
“Once you get in March, you kind of have to wipe the slate, no matter who you’re playing,” Girard said. “So after the New Mexico game where not a lot of people picked us to win, we were on edge, had a lot of competitive spirit and fire, you have to wipe it away and realize there’s a new 40 minutes ahead of you. … You’ve got to be focused.”
Baylor scouting report
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why No. 3 Baylor cruised past No. 14 Colgate, 92-67, in its NCAA Tournament opener. The Bears shot 38.8% on 3-pointers during the regular season, and they were 16 of 30 from deep on Friday.
That comes out to 53.3%.
Not many teams are going to lose when they’re shooting like that. And even if Baylor cools down, it has a remarkable six players averaging double digits — all between 14 and 10 points per game — and an effective zone defense it’ll occasionally bring out.
Baylor and coach Scott Drew also have a proven NCAA Tournament track record — The Bears were the 2021 national champions after beating a previously undefeated Gonzaga in the final.
“With us, we’ve got a lot of guys that are capable of scoring and knocking down shots, and that tension is always between do I get someone else’s shot or do I take a shot?” Drew said. “I know when we’re taking the best shot we can get, we’re a much better team like everybody else.”
Clemson vs. Baylor game notes
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Clemson and Baylor, the first NCAA Tournament meeting between the schools and the first overall since 1983.
With a win, Clemson would qualify for its fifth Sweet 16 in program history and its first since 2018, when the Tigers did it as a No. 5 seed.
Clemson’s scoring margin (+21) and field-goal percentage defense (29.7%) against New Mexico both ranked No. 2 all time in the program’s NCAA history.
PJ Hall moved into ninth place on Clemson’s all-time scoring list Friday (1,670 points).
Brad Brownell won his fourth NCAA Tournament game at Clemson on Friday, which set a school record. (Bill Foster and Cliff Ellis both had three.)
With Friday’s win, Baylor joined Gonzaga, Houston and Kansas as the only four teams to win at least one NCAA Tournament game each of the past five tournaments.
Baylor’s 92 points and +25 scoring margin against Colgate were both program records for NCAA Tournament play (16 threes tied the record).
Bears guard Ja’Kobe Walter was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and one of five Bears who earned at least one All-Big 12 honor.
Baylor is 5-3 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament under coach Scott Drew
The Bears are the only team in the country with six players averaging 10 or more points per game.
