The Clemson basketball team had a minor setback when it lost to Virginia Tech on the road Saturday. Here is the path to the NCAA Tournament for the Tigers.
The Clemson basketball team suffered a minor setback when it lost to the Virginia Tech Hokies on the road Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, that loss put the Tigers on the outside looking in according to some bracketologists and they must find a way to secure the spot.
Luckily for Clemson basketball, there is still plenty of time left in the season. These next seven games in ACC play will determine, in my opinion, if the Tigers are eligible for the NCAA Tournament or not.
That being said, let’s take a look at the remaining games on Clemson basketball’s schedule and what the Tigers must do to lockup a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
- Host Notre Dame (Monday, February 8)
- Host Georgia Tech (Saturday, February 13)
- Host Boston College (Wednesday, February 17)
- At NC State (Saturday, February 20)
- At Georgia Tech (Tuesday, February 23)
- Host Virginia (Tuesday, March 1)
- At Boston College (Saturday, March 5)
This is the remaining portion of the Clemson basketball schedule. Through 11 games, the Tigers are 7-4 with several wins over top-25 teams, including Duke, Pittsburgh, and Louisville.
The last seven games of the season feature two match-ups against Boston College (the last team in the ACC standings), two match-ups against Georgia Tech (2-7 in the ACC), and the two ranked teams remaining on the schedule (Notre Dame and Virginia) are at home.
**technically Notre Dame is not ranked right now, but they just beat No. 2 North Carolina and should be ranked in the next week’s polls**
In my opinion, the Tigers need to finish- at the very least- 11-7 in ACC play, but 12-6 would all but lock-up a spot in the conference. To win 12 games in the ACC, it means Clemson must go 5-2 in this last stretch.
Here is how Clemson basketball goes 5-2 in the remaining stretch.
- Split Notre Dame/Virginia at home
- Beat Boston College both times
- Beat Georgia Tech at home
- Split Georgia Tech/NC State on the road
This is the formula for the Tigers to finish 12-6 in the ACC and pretty much lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Clemson basketball has to beat Boston College-the worst team in the ACC- both times.
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A loss to the Eagles would hurt you, not only in the conference standings, but on your resume. If you take care of business against Boston College, you have three more steps.
The next thing the Tigers must do is find a way to either beat Notre Dame or Virginia at home. They don’t have to win both, but they need to win one.
Third is to beat Georgia Tech at home. The Tigers host the Yellow Jackets next Saturday and they must find a way to win that game. You have to win your home games, especially against a team like Georgia Tech.
The last thing the Tigers must do is go on the road and win a game against a similar opponent. Both NC State and Georgia Tech have the ability to win any given game at home, but Clemson basketball has to find a way to go on the road and pick up one of those two.
If Clemson basketball can do these four things, it will be in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers would finish 12-6 in the ACC with five wins over ranked teams.
More tigers: A Clemson Tiger From The Past: Shawan Robinson
Making the Tournament is not an easy thing to do, but it is certainly a reachable goal, Clemson basketball just needs to refocus and get ready for Notre Dame on Monday. It will be interesting to see if they can pick up the win.