Clemson Basketball Emerging as High Seed in NCAA Tournament Projections

After a tremendous start to the season, No. 22 Clemson has a chance to be recognized as a top seed, or even a dark horse, for the NCAA Tournament in March.

Clemson has won five-straight ACC games and is looking for its ninth-straight win of the season against Miami on Saturday. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released updated March Madness projections on Friday morning. With Clemson basketball having just passed the midway point in their season, there is no better time to get ahead of ourselves. 

Five is the number. ESPN’s bracketology currently has the 15-3 (5-0 ACC) Clemson Tigers as a No. 5 seed in the West region, projected to play No. 12 seed Liberty in Tampa, Florida. At 14-3, Liberty is currently in 1st place in Conference USA. 

In the second round, the winner between Clemson and Liberty would face the winner of projected No. 4 seed Alabama and No. 13 seed FAU. 

The prospect of Clemson and Alabama meeting in March is tantalizing in more ways than one. In 2024, the Crimson Tide ended a magical Clemson run in the Elite Eight. Earlier this year, on Dec. 3, the Tide tested the Tigers in Tuscaloosa. In a barn-burner of a game, Brad Brownell’s team fell 90-84 as a second half surge came a day late and a dollar short. 

CBS Sports predicts the Tigers as a No. 6 seed, squaring off in the East region with an 11-seeded Auburn Tigers team. Under those projections, Clemson would face the winner of No. 3 seed Illinois and No. 14 seed Hofstra.

CBS and ESPN unanimously agree on the top four teams in the country, though: Michigan, UConn, Arizona, Duke. Those four teams are listed as the No. 1 seeds in both respective projections. In Lunardi’s projections, Duke returns with a one next to their name for the first time since December.

In December, Clemson was projected as a No. 8 seed in the East region by Lunardi. Up three spots, things seem to be trending in the right direction in Tigertown. 

The bigger story, however, is the ACC. Eight ACC teams received single-digit seeding.

“At long last, the ACC is having a resurgent campaign,” The Athletic's Jim Root said.

With 14 games before the post season, Clemson will have their run in with a handful of high-projected ACC opponents. 

Miami, a projected No. 8 seed, is playing at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday. After a run in with the Hurricanes, projected No. 9 seed NC State comes to town.

A few weeks later, a run-in with projected No. 1 seed Duke awaits. 

And on the back end of the season, the Tigers face a back-to-back matchup against projected No. 6 seeds,  Louisville and UNC.