The brackets are out, the seeds are final and for the third straight year, Brad Brownell has, with the Clemson Tigers (24-10), dancing. But while people who root for the "Orange and White" are arranging for flights to Tampa, national media is busy writing the Tigers' obituary.
Clemson came in No. 8 seed in the South Region, setting a date for Friday night with the No. 9 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (6:50 p.m. ET, TNT). It’s the quintessential “Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object” matchup: Clemson’s top-20 defense up against an Iowa offense led by an individual many seem to proclaim to be the most valuable point guard in the country.
The National Verdict: 50/50. If you want a consensus, you won’t find it. It’s as contested as a bracket in the hands of a five-year-old. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello is sticking with the Tigers — barely. He forecasts a 64-62 nail-biter for Clemson, essentially the wager that Brad Brownell’s defensive grit can endure a late Hawkeye surge. The Sporting News, though, is calling for the upset. Their logic? Clemson just doesn't have the so-called "offensive firepower" to keep up if the game becomes a track meet. With Carter Welling out for the year, the Tigers have no real alpha scorer to match up with Iowa’s high-octane backcourt.
By Friday night, the name every Clemson fan is likely to hear is Bennett Stirtz. Iowa’s first-year head coach, Ben McCollum, didn’t just transfer from Drake to Iowa City — he brought his star point guard with him. Stirtz is a stat-sheet stuffer, averaging 20 points in a game and playing nearly 38 minutes per night.
“Stirtz … is one of the five most valuable players to his team in college basketball,” CBS Sports reports.
Dillon Hunter has to make this game a rock fight if Clemson wants to win. The Tigers take the score in the 60s most comfortably. But if Stirtz gets loose and drives this game to the 80s, the Tigers are going back to the Upstate earlier than planned.
Whichever Friday may decide, Brad Brownell has officially stepped into rarified air. This is the third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the program—a feat only achieved twice before (Rick Barnes in the ’90s and Oliver Purnell in the late 2000s). With six tournament appearances, Brownell now stands alone as the most frequent "Big Dance" visitor in Clemson history.
He has already proven he can orchestrate deep runs, with a Sweet 16 in 2018 and an Elite Eight in 2024. The "ceiling" for this specific group might be the Round of 32 when a potential date with No. 1 seed Florida looms—but as we saw in 2024, counting out a Brownell-coached defense in March is a dangerous game.