After an incredibly successful regular season which resulted in a 27-6 record, Clemson basketball earned a 5-seed in the Midwest Region against a really tough matchup in McNeese.
The Tigers thought they would get a 5-seed and there were some potential matchups that stood out to me for them, but I truly didn't think that they'd draw McNeese. They did, unfortunately, and McNeese went 27-6 as well this season, finishing first in the Southland Conference.
The Midwest Region is set🔥 #MarchMadness https://t.co/TS9eWdm562 pic.twitter.com/g8kDZaixNn
— On3 (@On3sports) March 16, 2025
The season didn't start great for McNeese as they were just 1-2 with losses to South Dakota State and Alabama, but the Cowboys held their own in that Alabama game, losing by just eight.
McNeese lost to fellow NCAA Tournament teams Liberty (62-58) and Mississippi State (66-63) in thrillers and then rattled off two 11-game winning streaks split by a loss to Nicholls on the road.
Clemson, on the other hand, had a solid season but losses to South Carolina and Georgia Tech really hurt that resume and kept the Tigers from being a 4-seed or even a 3-seed. They had just five Quad 1 wins all season long but they did beat Duke which was probably good enough to earn a ton of respect from the selection committee.
Unfortunately, they arguably got the toughest draw of all the 5-seeds with McNeese and and former LSU head coach Will Wade who is 49-8 in two years with the program.
This will be far from a walk in the park but the Cowboys are beatable as they've shown against teams like Nicholls, Mississippi State, Santa Clara, Liberty, Alabama, and South Dakota State.
Clemson does have its work cut out here, though.
The Tigers will play on Thursday in Providence, R.I.