Where Clemson basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions for NCAA Tournament

CLEMSON — Clemson basketball will make the NCAA tournament despite suffering a heartbreaking loss to Louisville in the ACC tournament semifinals on Friday.

The Tigers’ nine-game win streak was snapped against the Cardinals, losing 76-73 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clemson (27-6) fell short of its third conference tournament championship appearance, but it had a strong season that will land the Tigers a March Madness appearance for the fifth time under coach Brad Brownell, according to projections.

Clemson set a program record for total wins and conference victories, beating blue-blood programs like Duke and Kentucky. The Tigers finished second in the ACC standings, a game away from first, and had two players, guard Chase Hunter and forward Ian Schieffelin, make All-ACC teams.

Here’s a look at Clemson’s résumé and where the Tigers sit ahead of Selection Sunday (6 p.m. ET, CBS).

Clemson basketball’s résumé, NET ranking

NET ranking

: 22

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KenPom ranking: 18

Quad 1 record: 5-3

Quad 2 record: 8-2

Quad 3 record: 8-1

Quad 4 record: 6-0

Clemson basketball March Madness bracket projections

Joe Lunardi, ESPN

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Tigers as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region. He has Clemson facing No. 12 McNeese State. The winner would face the winner between No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 13 Yale.

MORE: Why Clemson basketball’s late-game rally vs Louisville was important for March Madness

Jerry Palm, CBS

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has Clemson as a No. 6 seed in the South Region. He projects the Tigers will face the winner of a First Four game between No. 11 Indiana and San Diego State. The winner would face No. 3 Texas Tech or No. 14 Utah Valley in the second round.

USA TODAY Sports

The USA TODAY bracketology team of Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus have Clemson as a No. 4 seed in the South region. They project the Tigers to face No. 13 High Point. The winner would face No. 5 St. Mary’s and No. 12 McNeese State in the second round.

Like Palm and Lunardi’s brackets, they have three ACC teams (Duke, Clemson, Louisville) making the tournament. Lunardi and Palm has North Carolina as one of the first four teams out, and the USA TODAY bracketology team as UNC making March Madness.

Dave Ommen, Bracketville

Ommen projects Clemson as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest region. He has the Tigers facing No. 12 Colorado State. The winner would face No. 4 Purdue or No. 13 Akron.

James Fletcher, On3

Fletcher projects Clemson as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest region. He has the Tigers battling No. 12 McNeese State. The winner would face No. 4 Maryland or No. 13 Yale.

Bracket Matrix

The Bracket Project’s Bracket Matrix monitors various bracket projections. Clemson appears on all 104 brackets, with a high seed of No. 3 and a low seed of No. 6. The Tigers’ average seed is 4.64.

Clemson basketball’s NCAA Tournament history under Brad Brownell

The Tigers have reached four NCAA Tournaments in Brownell’s 15 seasons with Clemson, including three bids in the past seven seasons.

Clemson is one of 24 programs since 2018 to advance to a Sweet 16 (2018) and Elite Eight (2024) in separate seasons. Its March Madness record is 6-4 under Brownell.

The Tigers have 14 NCAA tournament appearances in program history. The Tigers have made two Elite Eight appearances but have never been to a Final Four.

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00

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