It is still January, March Madness is a long way off, and Clemson basketball is firmly in the way it wants to be.
Even after registering its first ACC loss last week, Brad Brownell’s Tigers still look like a lock for a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Clemson has an overall score of 17-4 and an ACC record of 7-1, and now, with the calendar creeping toward February, the résumé still bears a heavy impact.
The Tigers rebounded the right way Saturday in Atlanta to get some business done with a 77-63 victory against Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion. Clemson led 13 points each for Jake Wahlin and Nick Davidson, and Dillon Hunter and Ace Buckner were in the lead, adding 12. It was Clemson’s fourth consecutive win in Atlanta, which quietly feels like one of the most underrated storylines of this season.
That win followed days after Clemson’s unbeaten ACC run ended with a bitter one — an 80-76 overtime loss to NC State on Tuesday night. The Tigers had a hole of 11 points from the hole, fought to the finish line, and forced overtime behind 16 points from RJ Godfrey. Hunter got a good look at a game-winning three at the buzzer, but it didn’t fall. It shattered a nine-game winning streak that continued through early December, but there was nothing fluky in Clemson’s endeavor.
If anything, the loss was a more recent nudge that life in the ACC is hardly an easy experience — particularly with Will Wade. Rankings, Numbers and Why Clemson isn’t Going anywhere. Clemson continues to sit comfortably within the Top 25 nationally as of now at No. 19 on the Coaches Poll, and No. 22 in the AP.
The Tigers are currently ranked 31st in the NET rankings, scored 1-3 in Quad 1 games, followed closely by 7-1 in Quad 2 and 9-0 against opponents in both Quad 3 and Quad 4.
Translation?
Clemson’s floor is high, the bad losses aren’t there, and the committee-friendly metrics still feel solid. ESPN Bracketology: Clemson Holds Things steady.
Clemson didn't go away, though, says ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, after the NC State collapse. The Tigers are projected as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, as it was last week.
In Lunardi’s latest projection, Clemson lands in the West Region and would open the tournament in Portland against the winner of a First Four matchup between Texas and USC. Win that, and Clemson would probably get a shot at No. 3 seed Gonzaga in the second round — not exactly a gift, but not the sort of thing this team would be ducking. Earlier projections showed Clemson in the Midwest Region against San Diego State, so this geographic shuffle continues, but the bottom line is the same: Clemson is well established in the field.
The ACC Picture Is Crowded -- and Clemson Is Part of the Mix. The ACC is scheduled now to send nine teams to the NCAA Tournament, tied with the Big 12 and trailing only the SEC and Big Ten. Currently, Clemson is one of many league clubs inching along 5-9 seed lines, stressing how tight it just might get in the end.