Clemson basketball got some good news and some bad news on Sunday night as the Selection Show rolled along. After finding out the Tigers would be the 5-seed in the Midwest Region, they also learned that they'd be facing arguably the toughest 12-seed this year in McNeese and Will Wade.
The Cowboys finished the season 27-6 and have had some impressive performances against some of the nation's top teams like Alabama and Mississippi State, both resulting in slim losses.
Clemson still has to feel good about making the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year as a top-six seed and it speaks volumes to the job that Brad Brownell has done here.
The road to a potential second straight Elite Eight run won't be easy as the Tigers would have to get through the likes of McNeese, Purdue, Gonzaga, and/or Houston to make it there, but one college hoops analyst not only thinks they make the regional final again, but he believes that Clemson makes the national title game.
That's right, Clark Kellogg of CBS is very high on Clemson and after going through his bracket picks, he has the Tigers playing in the national title game against Florida.
Clark Kellogg just picked Clemson to play Florida for the title. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/rhHc9wHrW6
— Clemson Sports (@ClemsonSports) March 16, 2025
Kellogg's other two Final Four teams were Michigan State and Duke and, honestly, that doesn't seem all that crazy. I like Clemson's region a lot if it can get past McNeese because Purdue has shown to be very beatable if you limit its top two players and Gonzaga is a shell of itself this season. Houston is the worst of the 1-seeds as well and Tennessee is a beatable 2-seed.
A lot of rival fans laughed at this prediction by Kellogg, but don't be surprised if we see the Tigers back in the spotlight in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.