No. 6 Clemson's Upset of Ja'Kobe Walter, No. 3 Baylor Thrills March Madness Fans

The Clemson Tigers impressed fans with a 72-64 upset of No. 3 Baylor in the Round of 32 on Sunday.

Baylor guard Ja'Kobe Walter, ranked No. 15 in the 2024 NBA Mock Draft by Jonathan Wasserman for Bleacher Report, recorded 20 points but shot 5-for-11 on free throws in the loss.

The dominance by Clemson's offense started early. The Tigers grabbed the first basket of the game and maintained the lead all the way through the first half.

By halftime, Clemson held a double-digit lead even with PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin periodically sidelined due to foul trouble.

Baylor's struggles continued into the second half as the Bears traded baskets back and forth with the Tigers.

The Bears leaned heavily on Walter and senior guard RayJ Dennis down the stretch. The two recorded almost 75 percent of Baylor's points in the loss.

Baylor rallied late in the game to come within two points of Clemson.

Walter was granted a pair of free throws with the chance to tie the score in the final minute. He missed both, allowing Clemson to cling to the early lead.

The result was a surprising early exit for the Bears, who have become a perennial NCAA tournament success story as one of four programs with at least one tournament win in the past five seasons.

The Tigers meanwhile continue to rebound from a 21-point loss to Boston College in their first game of the ACC Tournament. Senior guard Chase Hunter led the team with 20 points in the victory.

Clemson is now bound for the fifth Sweet 16 appearance in program history, and second since 2018, with a contest against No. 2 Arizona looming.