The “sweaty palms” season has arrived with a vengeance for college basketball today, but for the Clemson Tigers, the most recent stats speak to a bit more breathing room than for most bubble teams. After a gruff 79-76 triumph over Georgia Tech to end the regular season, Clemson (22-9, 12-6 ACC) enters the postseason as No. 5 seed in the ACC Tournament.
Though a four-game losing streak in February stood in the way of scoring a championship record, ESPN’s Neil Paine says the Tigers are still in the "Should Be In" bracket with a 94% average overall likelihood from the "At-Large."
“Clemson is on the top of the list, no worse than the seventh place in the ACC to finish it with in terms of résumé average,” Paine wrote, and he noted that the Tigers are a foundation of what is currently forecasted to be an eight-bid conference.
The selection committee’s “Nitty Gritty” report reflects on a squad that has been managed to navigate a complex schedule with relative success.
Now Clemson is No. 36 in the NET standings—a testament to a solid accumulation of wins that show quality.
Clemson's Quadrant Record: Quad 1: 5-5 Quad 2: 6-4 Quad 3: 4-0 Quad 4: 7-0
The wins for the Tigers in Quad 1—including road-oriented victories at Stanford, California and Syracuse—provide their “teeth” that should prevent a Selection Sunday disaster. The Path Toward the Double-Bye (and Beyond) Clemson narrowly missed out on a double-bye in the ACC Tournament. Despite tying with North Carolina for fourth place in the standings, the Tar Heels took the No. 4 seed due to their head-to-head win over the Tigers on March 3.
Now the Tigers are going to be on a collision course against familiar foes in Charlotte: Wednesday, March 11 (9:30 p.m. ET): No. 5 Clemson vs. winner of No. 12 Virginia Tech / No. 13 Wake Forest. The second round matchup brims with "revenge" potential. Clemson suffered a slide during February, with the Hokies and the Demon Deacons scoring 10 points and 8 points, respectively.
For Clemson, a victory on Wednesday night wouldn’t have the feeling of a “feel good” revenge victory — it would likely seal a placement in No. 6 or No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which will shut any “bubble” anxiety up before the weekend even starts with this season.”