With January coming to a close, college basketball is starting to take center stage. Now that the college football season is behind us and all but one NFL game has been played, fans around the country are going to start looking forward to March Madness. Thus, it is a perfect time to begin tracking where Clemson stands in regard to the various "Bracketology" projections.
Certainly, trying to project the field of 68 teams that will comprise the NCAA Tournament has become a cottage industry in America. And this time of the year, fans begin to wonder if their team is in line for a top seed or sitting on the dreaded bubble.
Fortunately for Clemson fans, the Tigers are in a position where they are playing for a high seed and not simply trying to get into the field by any means necessary. That's one of the advantages of being one of the best teams in an ACC Conference that isn't living up to its usual billing.
In fact, given the relative weakness of the conference, Clemson is almost a lock to make the tournament given all the wins the Tigers should rack up the rest of the season. Should that happen, it will be the program's 15th appearance in the sport's premiere event.
Of course, last season, the Tigers made it to the Elite Eight as a No. 6 seed. This year, they hope to at least match that seeding. And when they get into the field, it will mark the seventh time that the program has made the Big Dance in consecutive seasons.
So let's look inside some of the latest Bracketology projections. As we do, we will get a picture of how solid the Tigers are as it pertains to earning a bid in 2025.
Clemson as a No. 8 seed
On3 Sports has Clemson as a No. 8 seed. That's the lowest seed that any of the major sites has the Tigers projected to be.
In their projection, Clemson would be in the South Region taking on No. 9 seed West Virginia out of the Big 12 in the first round. That game would take place in Lexington, Kentucky.
Should the Tigers win that game, they would meet No. 1 seed Alabama in that projection. That would be a rematch from last season's Elite Eight, a game the Tigers lost 89-82. Hopefully, Clemson will be able to rise higher than the 8-9 game in order to avoid having to play a No. 1 seed in round two.
Clemson as a No. 7 seed
Two major sites, USA Today and ESPN.com have Clemson slotted as a No. 7 seed. That's the most common ranking for the Tigers in the latest Bracketology projections.
In USA Today's bracket, the Tigers are matched up against No. 10 seed Oklahoma out of the S.E.C. Though the S.E.C. is a rugged conference this year, the Sooners are a beatable team from that league as they sit at just 2-5 in conference play after starting the year 15-0. In the second round of that projection, Clemson would meet either No. 2 seed Marquette or No. 15 seed Norfolk State.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi puts No. 7 seed Clemson up against No. 10 seed Georgia, also out of the SEC. One of the surprise stories of the season in that conference, the Bulldogs are a feisty team that plays similarly to Clemson. In the second round of that bracket, Clemson would meet either No. 2 seed Purdue or No. 15 seed Southern.
Clemson as a No. 6 seed
FOX Sports has Clemson as a No. 6 seed. In their latest projection, the Tigers would meet No. 11 seed Georgia. That game would take place in the South Region with the winner to take on either No. 3 seed Houston or No. 14 seed UTEP.
Clemson as a No. 5 seed
Finally, CBSSports.com has Clemson as a No. 5 seed, the highest of the major Bracketology projections. Slated to play in the Midwest Region in that bracket, the Tigers would face No. 12 seed McNeese. Of course, every year there seems to be at least one upset of a No. 5 seed by a No. 12 seed so that might be a matchup the Tigers would like to avoid. Should the Tigers win that game, they would take on either No. 4 Oregon or No. 13 Yale in the second round.
The good news is that Clemson is in everyone's field. However, because of the weakness of the ACC, there will not be too many opportunities for the Tigers to pick up the type of wins that might drastically enhance their overall seeding. Of course, Clemson can't control that. All the Tigers can do is keep winning and see how high they can climb on the seeding line.