Clemson Tigers Seen as Top-Tier NCAA Tournament Team by Bracketologist

The Clemson Tigers went on a magical run during the 2024 NCAA Tournament when they advanced to the Elite Eight, defeating the New Mexico Lobos, Baylor Bears and Arizona Wildcats before being defeated by the Alabama Crimson Tide.

It tied the deepest that a Tigers men’s basketball team has advanced in the tournament, as the team reached the regional final in 1980 under head coach Bill C. Foster.

Heading into the 2024-25 campaign, there were a lot of questions about how good the team would be.

Their two leading scorers from last season, P.J. Hall and Joseph Girard III, moved on. Replacing players of that caliber is never easy, as Clemson was viewed as a presumed bubble team.

It seemed like an appropriate label since the team wasn’t ranked until Dec. 9 when they crashed the Top 25 at No. 16. Ranked No. 25 the following week, it was the last time they had a number next to their name until February.

On Feb. 10, they were voted as the No. 23 ranked team and steadily moved up the rankings as the season wore on.

As other teams faltered late, the Tigers found their form.

They climbed all the way up to No. 10, dominating throughout ACC play en route to an 18-2 record.

Three separate winning streak of at least six games were built throughout the campaign, as they won a program record 27 games to this point.

Clemson has a great chance to add to that win total in the coming weeks as one of the most highly-ranked teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament in the opinion of Joe Lunardi of ESPN.

The famed bracketologist recently ranked all 68 teams that made the field this year. The Tigers are No. 12 in his final field rank.

“Clemson will be a tough out in the Big Dance for a second straight March. The Tigers are experienced and well-coached and possess trustworthy guards (led by Hunter). Those three ingredients are critical for March success. Brownell's bunch is a decent bet to make it out of the first weekend before losing to Houston in the Sweet 16,” Lunardi wrote.

As the case was throughout the 2024-25 season, the Tigers are seemingly being overlooked heading into the tournament as a five-seed.

That is as popular of a seed line to have upsets picked in bracket pick’em leagues as any and there will be plenty of people who select against Clemson, who is matched up with the McNeese State Cowboys of the Southland Conference.

Former LSU Tigers head coach Will Wade has done wonders with the program since taking over as head coach, but the Tigers led by Brad Brownell are no strangers to overcoming the odds in March.

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