From a first-round exit in the ACC Tournament to the Elite Eight. The sixth-seeded Clemson Tigers led for all but 20 seconds and took down second-seeded Arizona 77-72 to reach the West Regional Final.

Through three games, Clemson(24-11) has trailed for just 50 seconds in the NCAA Tournament and controlled its destiny on the court with the defensive brand taking the spotlight. Here’s the 411 on a historic win over the Wildcats(27-9) in Crypto.com Arena.

-This is the second Elite Eight in program history, also in the West Region in 1980. Clemson has a chance to reach its first Final Four in program history with a win Saturday. It would also tie the program record with wins in a season with 25. The years that hold the tie are 1986-87, 2006-07 and 2017-18.

-The Hunter brothers put the closing touches on the game. Chase Hunter, who finished with a game-high 18 points made an acrobatic and-one to make it a 75-70. Dillon Hunter caught an outlet pass from Joseph Girard III and made a bucket with a foul of his own to seal the deal.

-Three-pointers have been a nightmare for the Tigers opposition in the NCAA Tournament. Opponents have shot 13, 25 and 18 percent from behind the arc against head coach Brad Brownell’s defense.

-Bench scoring showed up in a big way during the first half. RJ Godfrey and Chauncey Wiggins combined for 13 points on 5-6 shooting, accounting for a third of Clemson’s first half points.

-The PAC-12 Player of the Year was smothered by Chase Hunter and the Tigers defense. Caleb Love averages 18.7 points per game this season but struggled mightily against the matchup of Hunter, who said postgame that he saw Love’s confidence fade. He finished with 13 points, shooting 5-18 from the field.

-In the win, Joseph Girard III set the Tigers record for three-pointers made in the season with 100. The record was previously held by Clemson Hall of Fame Terrell McIntyre with 99 in the 1998-99 season.

-Arizona stormed back in the second half, taking its first lead at the 14:32 mark. From then, it was a free throw show that kept the Wildcats in the contest. Brownell noted postgame that the frontline was running out of options with foul trouble, so he went to a zone to seal the deal.

-With 1:06 left in the game and nine seconds on the shot clock, Clemson was up 70-67 and Brownell took a timeout. He proceeded to draw up a gem, freeing PJ Hall for a wide open dunk to make it a five-point lead and put the game out of reach.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports