Top Five Most Important Games For Clemson Basketball's Remainder of the Season

We are officially at the midway point in the ACC schedule, and the Clemson Tigers have passed the test thus far with flying colors.

Clemson is second in the ACC standings at 8-1, only behind the undefeated Duke Blue Devils, to cap out a tremendous beginning to conference play. The Tigers will enter their next nine-game schedule in uncharted territory, going west to play both Stanford and California next week.

Out of those nine remaining games to strengthen its schedule, here are what we think the most important games for head coach Brad Brownell and his team are going into February and March.

5. vs. Virginia Tech (Feb. 11)

Clemson’s next home game will be on this date against the Hokies, and its an opponent that would be a quality win if the Tigers take care of business.

Virginia Tech (16-7) is in the middle of the pack in the ACC standings so far, boasting a 5-5 ACC record that includes wins over Virginia and Cal. A buzzer-beater from SMU is the only reason why the Hokies are .500 in conference play right now, being a big spoiler team.

Especially after this West Coast trip next week, returning home with a strong win is essential. Mike Young’s group takes care of the ball, being the third-best ACC team in the turnover margin thus far this season at 2.83. A home win against this team would be a great resume booster.

4. @ Stanford (Feb. 4)

Clemson has two West Coast games next week, and perhaps its first will dictate how the away games will go.

The Tigers have a 10 p.m. game against the Cardinal (14-8, 3-6 ACC) on Wednesday, another ACC team that has played spoiler over the last several weeks. Stanford has wins against Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. Its wins against the Tar Heels and Cardinals occurred at home.

The Cardinal are looking for a bounce-back win, losing four straight since the win over North Carolina. They have the talent to do so, being led by a freshman standout Ebuka Okorie, who averages 21.8 points a contest. He’s had four 30-point games this season, and if another one occurs on Wednesday, it could spell a recipe for disaster for the Tigers.

3. vs. No. 20 Louisville (Feb. 28)

Barring anything drastic changing throughout February, this matchup has a great chance for the Tigers and Cardinals to be ranked, and it would be inside Littlejohn Coliseum.

The final day of the month will be the most important game at Littlejohn for the remainder of the season. It will present a Quad 1 opportunity and be a game where Brownell will look for his first win against the Cardinals (15-6, 5-4 ACC) with Pat Kelsey at the helm. Clemson lost in Louisville last January and then in the ACC Tournament semi-finals in the final seconds of the game.

Louisville’s been streaky, but it has freshman phenom Mikel Brown Jr. back. He averages 16.4 points a game, and the Cardinals have four other scorers who average over double digits each contest. This would be the statement win that the Tigers need, also being one of their best wins if it happens.

2. @ No. 16 North Carolina (March 3)

Speaking of statement wins, it’s not a surprise that the Tar Heels are up as high as this for Clemson’s matchup coming up next month.

North Carolina (17-4, 5-3 ACC) is playing its best basketball at the right time, riding a three-game win streak that features a win at No. 14 Virginia. The Tar Heels’ two of their three losses came from their West Coast trip.

The Tigers had success the last time they played in the Dean Dome, defeating the No. 3-ranked Tar Heels in February of 2024. Clemson has won its last two matchups against Hubert Davis, but standout freshman Caleb Wilson (20.0 points per game) will look to change that in one of the final games of the regular season.

@ No. 4 Duke (Feb. 14)

Of course, having the current No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the ACC would be the most important game for Clemson over the final nine games.

Brownell and Duke head coach Jon Scheyer have had some battles since he took the help in the 2022-23 season. Clemson has won two of its three matchups since that season, but both of those games were at home. Duke (20-1, 9-0 ACC) won at Cameron Indoor in January of 2024, and the Blue Devils can do so again.

Duke has arguably the best freshman in the country in Cameron Boozer (23.5 points, 9.8 rebounds per game), and sharpshooter Isaiah Evans gives a strong supporting role. If Clemson wins this game on Valentine’s Day, it would be an impressive Quad 1A win that would stay with the Tigers all the way to the Selection Show.

And that’s what Brownell has been looking for, and the opportunity is on the table.