Sitting at 26-5 on the season and 18-2 in ACC play just one year removed from an Elite Eight appearance, Clemson basketball seems to have continued the momentum it built a year ago.
But if you actually looked deeper, you'd see that a team that went 11-9 in the ACC last year lost its top two scorers this offseason and three of the top five offensive weapons. While Clemson was projected to be solid with Ian Schieffelin and Chase Hunter returning, no one truly expected this 18-2 conference record and top-10 ranking heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Brad Brownell tried to replace those top two scorers from last year who departed with four incoming recruits as well as four transfers and they far exceeded expectations.
Guys like Jaeden Zackery and Viktor Lakhin have ensured that the momentum continued and it's safe to say that this Clemson basketball season has been a pleasant surprise.
And the analytics agree, according to roster talent metrics from Evan Miyakawa.
Which CBB teams have overachieved based on their roster talent this year?
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) March 6, 2025
This graph shows every team's roster talent ranking compared to their resume quality ranking at https://t.co/cegyfz96ax. Teams that have exceeded expectations are under the black line ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/s9p9WlrG9o
That's right, Clemson has had one of the most unexpected great seasons of any team in the country along with the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Oregon, and Wisconsin. All of those teams were projected to be in the middle of the pack of their respective conference title races and all were contenders -- Michigan State even won the Big Ten by three whole games.
It's good to see Clemson getting some much-deserved love and the metrics seem to adore the Tigers this season. And the best part? The season is far from finished. There's another run to make.