The Clemson Tigers men’s basketball team hopes that it can climb further as the ACC Tournament approaches in a few weeks.
The Clemson Tigers men’s basketball team get a much-needed week off before they face the SMU Mustangs in Dallas on Saturday.
The Tigers (21-5, 13-2 in ACC) have five more regular season games before they head to the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., from March 11-15. The next five games represent a chance to solidify their seeding in the conference tournament and in the NCAA Tournament.
ESPN released its latest bracketology on Tuesday. The site does two significant updates each week to its projected 68-team NCAA Tournament field. The Tigers did a little moving up after blowing out Florida State, 72-46, on Saturday.
Clemson moved up a spot in seeding, as the Tigers were projected to be a No. 6 seed in the west region. Clemson was projected to play a first-round game against Vanderbilt in Cleveland.
Right now, the Tigers would be the No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament. Even with their victory over Duke, the Blue Devils have just one league loss and lead the conference.
Right behind the Blue Devils are Clemson and Louisville. But the Cardinals would be the No. 2 seed if the league’s tournament started now because Louisville beat Clemson earlier this season. It was the only meeting between the two teams.
What the Tigers hope to avoid is falling out of the league’s top four because those teams receive byes into the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
With five games remaining, the Tigers have a two-game cushion on Wake Forest and SMU, which makes Saturday’s upcoming game critical for the Mustangs to remain in the race for a top four seed.
Earlier this season coach Brad Brownell passed the 450-win mark for his career. He is already the winningest coach in Clemson history, ahead of former Tigers greats like Bill Foster, Cliff Ellis and Rick Barnes.
Brownell took over the program in 2010 and has won nearly 300 games, which includes six 20-win seasons. Clemson has made four NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT appearances under him.
Last season was a high point for the Tigers under Brownell. They finished the season 24-14, with an 11-9 record in ACC action. In the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers reached the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980 under Foster. The Tigers have never been to a Final Four.
After facing SMU, the Tigers games against Notre Dame, Virginia, Boston College and Virginia Tech.
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