Clemson Tigers Men's Basketball Team Wrongly Held Out of AP Top 25 Poll

What will it take for the Clemson Tigers men's basketball team to make the AP Top 25 Poll?

Feb 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers huddles during the second half of the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Lenovo Center. | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers men’s basketball team has been playing at an incredibly high level over the last few weeks.

Since dropping back-to-back games against the Memphis Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks to complete their non-conference schedule, they have been tearing things up against ACC foes.

Clemson is an impressive 10-1 in conference, with their only loss coming on the road against the upstart Louisville Cardinals on Jan. 7. 

Since that game, they have won six contests in a row, including a massive overtime victory on the road against the Pittsburgh Panthers, another team that looks like it will be squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Despite being victorious in nine out of their last 10 outings, the Tigers are still receiving no love from the AP Poll Top 25 voters.

With a record of 18-4 overall and 8-4 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents, they have a resume worthy of receiving a number next to their name.

Alas, they just missed out on making the cut again in Week 12, finishing with 182 points. That is only two points shy of the Ole Miss Rebels, who lost to the Auburn Tigers over the weekend but held onto the No. 25 spot in the rankings.

The overall struggles of the ACC could certainly be playing a part in the Tigers being overlooked.

A strong argument could be made for Clemson being in the top 25 ahead of teams such as the Illinois Fighting Illini, Mississippi State Bulldogs or Ole Miss, who all have at least six losses on the year.

But, they all play in far superior conferences, as the Big Ten and SEC are loaded with high-end, championship caliber contending teams.

Right now, the ACC has only one program that would qualify as such; the only ranked team in the Duke Blue Devils who are No. 2 in the country behind Auburn.

The Tigers will have a golden opportunity to move into the Top 25 this weekend as they will be hosting Duke at Littlejohn Coliseium on Feb. 8 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

A victory that evening would assuredly push them up the rankings.

The coaches already seen the potential that Brad Brownell’s squad possesses.

Despite not being ranked in the AP Poll, Clemson has moved up the Coaches Poll for a second consecutive week. They are now No. 21, increasing four spots after defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies and North Carolina State Wolfpack in two road games.