ACC preseason poll leaves Clemson little margin for error following Zac Foster injury

In the extended aftermath of the ACC Tipoff, the Clemson Tigers are still widely seen as one of the better teams in the league. Brad Brownell's team finished sixth in the ACC's preseason poll with 623 points. The Tigers only trailed the Duke Blue Devils (861), the Virginia Cavaliers (778), the Louisville Cardinals (758), the Miami Hurricanes (753), and the North Carolina Tar Heels (753) after the voting.

Here is a look at how all 18 basketball teams stacked after the ACC preseason poll was conducted.

1. Duke Blue Devils: (45 first-place votes), 861 points
2. Virginia Cavaliers: (1 first-place vote), 778 points
3. Louisville Cardinals: (1 first-place vote), 758 points
4. Miami Hurricanes: (1 first-place vote), 753 points
5. North Carolina Tar Heels: 658 points
6. Clemson Tigers: 623 points
7. Florida State Seminoles: 519 points
8. North Carolina State Wolfpack: 502 points
9. Virginia Tech Hokies: 489 points
10. SMU Mustangs: 443 points
11. Syracuse Orange: 353 points
12. Pittsburgh Panthers: 323 points
13. Stanford Cardinal: 267 points
14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons: 234 points
15. California Golden Bears: 225 points
16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 153 points
17. Boston College Eagles: 150 points
18. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: 119 points

From a purely optical standpoint, Clemson beating out Florida State by over 100 points to finish in sixth place largely signifies that the Tigers should be an NCAA Tournament team again coming in. The latest Bracketology update from Oct. 6 has Clemson as a No. 11 seed as one of seven ACC teams to make the field, along with Duke, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Virginia.

Of course, this ACC preseason poll was conducted before Zac Foster was ruled out for the season...

Zac Foster's injury could complicate Clemson's standing in the deep ACC

Coming into the ACC Tipoff, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell let it be known that Foster and Carter Welling were both working their way back from torn ACLs. Prior to Foster tearing the same one he was rehabbing, he had been on track to return before the end of the calendar year. As for Welling, his return was always coming later on. This is because he tore his ACL down the stretch last March.

While Dillon Hunter's eligibility remains in flux, there could be some other good news on the horizon. It should be noted that during the ACC Tipoff, freshman guard Harris Reynolds was one of six players to receive a Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year vote. Although he may be green coming in, there is a real opportunity for him to take advantage of, with Foster out for the year and Hunter currently ineligible.

Right now, Clemson has to hold serve during its impressive non-conference schedule to be in a good position to make the NCAA Tournament. There are quality ACC wins to be had, but Clemson cannot afford to start this season out at a deficit in the resume department. Frankly, it could be a baptism by fire right away for the depleted Tigers right out of the gate. Sometimes, you have to fight fire with fire.

Ultimately, Clemson's non-conference slate may be more important than we originally thought. While the Tigers do have the respect of their ACC contemporaries, the last thing Brownell needs is for his team to get off on the wrong foot before the season really starts. The good news is he has time to counterbalance with his rotation. The bad news is the depth may not be there for Clemson this year.

Be prepared to live in a world where Clemson is a bubble team throughout the entire 2026-27 season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow