Clemson Tigers' Jump in AP Poll Proves They Are Becoming Title Contender

A recent significant rise in the AP Poll has the Clemson Tigers getting closer to being title contenders.

Feb 22, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell looks on during the game between the SMU Mustangs and the Clemson Tigers at Moody Coliseum. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are looking to finish up their season strong, and in the most recent AP Poll, they took a significant jump in the rankings.

It has been an excellent year for the Tigers on the hardwood.

Currently, the team has a (21-5) record and are an extremely impressive 14-2 record in the ACC.

If not for the amazing season the Duke Blue Devils are having, Clemson would be the team to beat in the conference.

Even though the Blue Devils are currently ranked higher, it is the Tigers who have the head-to-head win against them this year, which was the only conference loss for Duke so far this season.

Recently, Clemson has seen their stock rise quite a bit.

After beating the Blue Devils, they were finally able to get back into he AP Top 25.

Now, with four straight wins, they have moved up all the way to 13th.

As winners of 10 of their last 11 games, the Tigers are playing some excellent basketball after being overlooked for quite some time this season.

Now, it finally appears that after beating Duke they are starting to get some more respect. However, this was a team that beat the Kentucky Wildcats as well earlier this year when they were ranked fourth in the country.

After making the Elite Eight last year, Clemson will be attempting to not only replicate that, but potentially go even further. So far, this team has shown a good balance both offensive and defensively this campaign.

With good guard play always being important in March, the Tigers have a few good ones and a recent lineup change has really worked out well.

Head coach Brad Brownell certainly pushed the right button by bringing guard Dillon Hunter into the starting lineup and moving big man Chauncey Wiggins to the bench. Wiggins especially has thrived with the second unit and Hunter has helped facilitate and run the offense well.

With March nearly here, the Tigers will be wrapping up the regular season over the next two weeks and then will be preparing for the ACC Tournament.

Now that Clemson is ranked 13th in the nation, they will be aiming to secure a Top-10 ranking before the end of the regular season. With some very winnable games remining, the Tigers have a good chance of running the table and getting to that mark.

As the season comes to a close, Clemson will certainly be a team to watch heading into March Madness.