March 18, 1989: No. 1 Arizona Basketball defeats No. 9 Clemson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
By Mason Duhon
Regular season leadup
Arizona was led by Lute Olson, who was in the sixth year of his legendary tenure as the Wildcats' shot-caller. Arizona entered the 1988-89 season coming off a 35-3 season that culminated in a Final Four appearance the year prior. Olson and the Wildcats delivered in the regular season, finishing with a 28-3 overall record and an identical 17-1 record in Pac-10 play, with the loss coming to Stanford both times. They went on to win their second of three straight Pac-12 tournaments.
Clemson, on the other hand, was in the fifth year of the Cliff Ellis era and was making a return to the NCAA Tournament after spending the prior postseason getting knocked out in the first round of the 1988 NIT. The Tigers finished the regular season 18-10 and went 10-7 in ACC play. Clemson entered the 1989 NCAA Tournament fresh off of a first-round exit in the ACC Tournament and was looking to dispel the rumblings.