Clemson Tigers Deserve More Respect as NCAA Championship Contenders

The Clemson Tigers deserve to be considered one of the best teams in the country this season, even if these insiders don't see it that way.

Feb 26, 2025; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell looks at a replay of his players against Notre Dame during the first half at Littlejohn Coliseum. | Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

With the regular season coming to a close for the Clemson Tigers, it has been one of the best seasons in the history of the program. 

After reaching the Elite Eight last year, the Tigers weren’t expected to be as good as they have been this year with a couple of key members from that team graduating. 

However, head coach Brad Brownell has done an excellent job developing his players, and they are currently ranked 13th in the country in the AP Top 25. After their most recent win, the Tigers have a 23-5 overall record and a 15-2 record in the ACC.

Despite the amazing conference record, they are still tied in second place, one game behind the Duke Blue Devils, whose lone conference loss came against the Tigers. 

With a great regular season coming to a close, Clemson will be focused on finishing up the season strong and competing for an ACC title. However, they will also be thinking about contending for a national championship as well. 

Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com (subscription required) recently wrote about the eight teams in the country that can win it all in March Madness this year. Wrongfully, they listed the Tigers as a near miss and they didn’t believe that they could cut down the nets when it is all said and done. 

Clemson not being considered a potential national title contender is a bit surprising considering the season that they have had and the teams they have beaten. 

There are a couple of key metrics that the Tigers also meet in KenPom efficiency numbers that over 90 percent of the champions since 2004 have had come the start of the tournament. 

Those metrics are to be in the Top-21 in offensive efficiency and Top-31 in defensive efficiency. Currently, Clemson ranks 16th and 28th, making them, from an efficiency standpoint, a potential winner. 

With some players being on the team and playing a significant role last season when they made their run, the experience is there for the Tigers as well. 

While there are certainly some talented teams that have made the list of eight contenders, Clemson deserves to be in the mix as well. 

The win against Duke helped open the country’s eyes to the talented team that the Tigers are, but they have been overlooked for much of the year. If they win the ACC tournament, that narrative might change, but they have been thriving in this role.