Clemson Basketball Drops in Rankings, Remains in AP Poll

Despite one loss last week, the Clemson Tigers remain as one of the top 25 teams in the country at this point in the season.

The Clemson Tigers will look to take advantage of a small break this week, only playing once to finish January. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers suffered a loss this past week on the hardwood, but it won’t hurt their ranking too much after Monday’s release of the newest AP Poll. 

Head coach Brad Brownell’s team dropped four spots to No. 22, going 1-1 in ACC play after a loss to NC State last Tuesday. The team then responded with a double-digit win over Georgia Tech on Saturday. 

Now, Clemson goes into a week with only one game. The Tigers will host the Pitt Panthers on Saturday afternoon in their first rematch of the season. They defeated Pitt on Jan. 3 in a five-point victory in the Keystone State. 

The loss to the Wolfpack didn’t drop Clemson much, either. That’s why Brownell spoke highly about the conference this season on Monday morning, when he was asked about it during the ACC coaches teleconference. 

“If your league doesn’t do well for you, then to improve your NET ranking through the course of the season, and so getting off to a great start as a league and as a program is important,” Brownell said, “and certainly I think that’s something that our league has done this year.” 

This is the first time that the Tigers have made the top 25 in back-to-back weeks since last season’s poll from March 17 to the end of the season. Clemson dropped from No. 12 to No. 22 after the loss to McNeese State but did enough to remain in the final AP Poll. 

As for the Tigers’ NET ranking, the team is 31st in the country. After this past week, Clemson is now 1-3 in Quad 1 games this season. Dropped rankings by SMU and Miami moved those wins to Quad 2, where the Tigers are now 7-1. Brownell will have the opportunity to play other Quad 1 opportunities down the stretch this season. 

The Tigers are one of five teams ranked in the AP Poll this week. Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Louisville are all in the rankings as well. 

NC State, the team Clemson lost to, only got eight votes of consideration over the week. One of the Tigers’ best wins this season, Georgia, is now out of the ranking as well. Now, Brownell’s team does not have a win against any ranked team during this week’s cycle, although opportunities against the Blue Devils, Tar Heels and Cardinals all loom to close out conference play. 

Tipoff between the Tigers and Panthers is set for noon on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.