Clemson Basketball: The Path to the 2020 NCAA Tournament

Can the Clemson basketball team somehow find its way in the 2020 NCAA Tournament? It’s not out of the question as we head down the stretch.

The Clemson basketball team has had some kind of reemergence down the stretch of the season and is playing the best it has all year to this point.

The Tigers reeled off a 20-point win on the road against Pittsburgh and then followed that up with a big victory over No. 11-ranked Louisville (77-62). This past weekend, Clemson went back on the road and shot the lights out, beating Boston College 82-64.

With the past three wins, Clemson basketball is now 14-12 overall and 8-8 in the ACC. The Tigers are actually sixth in the current ACC standings, tied with Syracuse, NC State and Notre Dame who all have 8-8 records in conference.

The problem, however, is the fact that the ACC’s strength is down a little bit this season and that the Tigers lost a few bad games early on. While NC State and Notre Dame sit at 17-10 overall, Clemson is 14-12 with bad losses on its resume like Minnesota, South Carolina, Yale, Virginia Tech and Miami.

All of that being said, we’ve had several Clemson basketball fans ask if the NCAA Tournament is still a possibility and the chances are slim, but certainly possible.

Here’s a look at Clemson’s final four games of the season before the ACC Tournament:

• @ Georgia Tech
• Vs. Florida State
• @ Virginia Tech
• Vs. Georgia Tech

Currently, I don’t think Clemson can afford to lose another game in the regular season and still make the big dance with an at-large bid. If the Tigers win the three they should (GT, VT, GT) and then somehow upset Florida State at home (a lock for the NCAA Tournament), Clemson would finish the season at 18-12 with a 12-8 record in the ACC.

At that point, Clemson could certainly vault into the tournament discussions with a win- most likely two- in the ACC Tournament.

Honestly, there’s little room for error down the stretch, but there is a possibility. I wouldn’t get my hopes up, but the Tigers still have a path to the big dance with a few wins here in the final couple of weeks.