Malik Newman, Kansas Hang on to Beat Clemson, Advance to 2018 Elite Eight

The No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks overcame sluggish play down the stretch and survived the No. 5 Clemson Tigers, 80-76, in a Midwest Regional semifinal Friday night at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, to clinch a third straight trip to the Elite Eight. 

Kansas is now one win away from its first Final Four since 2012. 

Combo guard Malik Newman led the Jayhawks with 17 points, and he showed no signs of slowing down on the heels of a 28-point outburst in the second round against Seton Hall. The redshirt sophomore finished 6-of-11 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from three. 

Kansas Jayhawks vs. Clemson Tigers: Game Highlights

Junior Lagerald Vick added 13 points to finish in double figures for the sixth straight game. 

That production was a welcome sight for the Jayhawks because Naismith Award finalist Devonte' Graham resided on the other end of the efficiency spectrum. Coming off a lackluster eight-point outing versus the Pirates, Graham tallied 16 points (4-of-12 shooting, 6-of-7 on free throws), five rebounds, four assists and three turnovers. 

Graham's struggles were also easier to overlook because of the way Kansas' bigs imposed their will. 

Center Udoka Azubuike bullied Clemson's frontcourt to the tune of 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, and Silvio De Sousa added nine points and six boards off the bench. 

Speaking of De Sousa, the freshman forward produced the play of the day for Kansas when he threw down a half-court alley-oop off a feed from Graham in the first half: 

Silvio de Sousa Dunk

Thanks to another balanced effort and a flurry of unforced errors from the Tigers, the Jayhawks were able to mount a 20-point edge at various points throughout the second half. 

The deficit was ultimately too large for Clemson to overcome.

But with Gabe DeVoe (31 points) leading the charge and Shelton Mitchell (12 points) providing a bouncy spark, the Tigers clawed their way back to within five with 19 seconds on the clock. 

Big dunk from Shelton Mitchell

However, that's as close as the ACC challengers would get. The Jayhawks made their free throws to keep the Tigers at bay and extend their stay in Omaha. 

Now on the precipice of the Final Four, Kansas will await the winner of No. 2 Duke vs No. 11 Syracuse in Sunday's Midwest Regional Final.