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Clemson Basketball: NCAA Tourney hopes not finished, but there’s little room for error

By Andrew Boardwine

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 15: Head coach Brad Brownell of the Clemson Tigers claps from the bench during the game against the UAB Blazers during the first round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at UD Arena on March 15, 2011 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OH - MARCH 15: Head coach Brad Brownell of the Clemson Tigers claps from the bench during the game against the UAB Blazers during the first round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at UD Arena on March 15, 2011 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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There’s little room for error down the stretch as Clemson basketball tries to make a run at the NCAA Tournament after a tough loss to Miami.

There are two types of Clemson basketball fans, seemingly: The optimist and the pessimist.

The optimist continues to see everything as great even when it’s not. The optimist finds reasons that the team is a NCAA Tournament team even though they haven’t performed up to that level for the majority of this season.

The pessimist wanted Brad Brownell fired as soon as the Tiger lost to Creighton early in the non-conference. It doesn’t matter what Clemson basketball will do the rest of the way, the pessimist has already decided that the season- and the program, for that matter, is a lost cause until coaching changes are made.

I’m here to tell you that neither group, really, is right.

Clemson basketball isn’t playing like a tournament team right now and NCAA Tournament chances are seemingly slipping out of reach for the Tigers, but the season is not over and there’s still plenty of time and chances for the team to make things right.

Down the stretch, it’s going to be important for the Tigers to win games and, now that they lost to Miami on the road, to pull off an upset at some point in the season.

Here’s a look at Clemson’s remaining seven games:

  • @ #16 Louisville
  • vs. #17 Florida State
  • vs. Boston College
  • @ Pittsburgh
  • vs. #8 UNC
  • @ Notre Dame
  • vs. Syracuse

In these last seven games, Clemson needs to go 5-2. A win over Miami would’ve allowed the Tigers to go 4-3 in these final seven and still make the tournament fairly easily, but that loss hurts the NET rating and won’t look good on the resume, or help in the ACC Standings, for that matter.

So, the Tigers are facing a stretch of two games here where they must- at the very least- split between two top-20 teams. If you lose to both Louisville and Florida State, the NCAA Tournament- minus a miracle run- is out of the question.

Clemson has to at least split games between those two teams. If they won both, they’d be ahead of the curve again, but they have to at least split.

If you split, you have to go 4-1 in the last five. The Tigers will play four teams that they are better than and should beat (Boston College, Pitt, Notre Dame and Syracuse at home) but both the Pitt and Notre Dame games will be on the road.

Clemson will get UNC at home in a tilt that could ultimately prove to be the difference in the season.

It’s now or never for this 2018-19 Clemson basketball team.

After Tuesday night of next week, I think we’ll know for sure what this team is going to do. It’s a tough slate, but you’ve got to find a way to pull off some wins now. There is very little room for error now and that loss certainly hurt.

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But, the season is not over. If the Tigers finds a way to get things going down the stretch, they are capable of beating any team remaining on the schedule.

It’s time for the Clemson basketball faithful to get behind the program and see if Tiger nation can’t jolt a little bit of energy into the Tigers as they head into this monumental stretch.

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