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March Madness: Who’s giving Clemson a chance? Not many

March Madness: Clemson vs. New Mexico won’t feel like most No. 6 vs. 11 seed matchups when the first-round NCAA Tournament game tips off Friday afternoon from FedExForum in Memphis.

Clemson vs. New Mexico won’t feel like most No. 6 vs. No. 11 seed matchups when the West Region first-round NCAA Tournament game tips off Friday afternoon from FedExForum in Memphis.

That’s because the Tigers (21-11 overall) aren’t like most No. 6 seeds in the eyes of Vegas and various analysts making predictions for Friday’s game.

Clemson (21-11) earned an at-large berth in the tournament after a largely up-and-down ACC season. New Mexico (26-9) defeated San Diego State on Saturday to win the Mountain West Tournament and clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Lobos are a 2.5-point favorite over Clemson, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. New Mexico is -145 on the moneyline while Clemson is +120. The over/under for points scored is 148.5.

It’s not just the sportsbooks that don’t favor the Tigers, either.

ESPN’s John Gasaway and Keith Lipscomb wrote this week that Clemson is the most likely No. 11 seed to face a first-round exit.

Per ESPN:

Yes, we heartily agree with other laptops, Vegas, social media and that know-it-all relative. This looks like a game where the Lobos are straight-up favorites. UNM’s Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House form arguably one of the better backcourts in the entire field. The committee might view this bid as having been “stolen” by New Mexico, but Richard Pitino’s group is quite capable of advancing.

March Madness is all about who gets hot at the right time, though, and Brad Brownell’s Tigers have certainly shown flashes of that this season with wins over ACC regular season champion and No. 1 seed North Carolina, No. 4 seed Alabama and other NCAA Tournament teams.

Tipoff for Friday’s game is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised by truTV.

Conference realignment: Where does Clemson land in potential post-ACC world?

If Clemson University and its lawyers are successfully able to challenge the ACC’s Grant of Rights and leave the league, where would the Tigers most likely join in the next wave of conference realignment?

What happens if Clemson and Florida State are successful in their respective attempts to leave the ACC?

Does Miami, North Carolina, Duke and others follow them to one of the new “Power 2” conferences or to the Big 12?

Does the ACC continue on in a watered-down way without its biggest football powers and perhaps become a basketball-only league, à la the Big East?

Most importantly to Clemson fans and others looking at a potential/inevitable ACC collapse with a vested interest, what conference would the Tigers be most likely to join?

247Sports’ Brad Crawford and others have pondered that last question and posited that the SEC is the most likely landing spot for Clemson, if the school and its attorneys are able to break the ACC’s Grant of Rights agreement.

A potential Clemson move to the SEC would hardly come as a shock. The Tigers offer the league a lot in terms of recent on-field success — namely, they’re the only ACC program that played in the four-team College Football Playoff from 2015-2023.

Clemson would also be a natural fit in the SEC both geographically and culturally, as would another ACC school that 247Sports predicts would land in commissioner Greg Sankey’s league.

Clemson files lawsuit against ACC

Three months after Florida State filed a similar lawsuit in open court against the ACC in Tallahassee, Fla. comes word that Clemson has done something similar in South Carolina.

Three months after Florida State filed a lawsuit in open court against the ACC in state court in Tallahassee, Fla. comes news that Clemson has filed its own suit against the league in state court in Pickens County, S.C.

Both Clemson and Florida State’s lawsuits challenge the ACC’s grant of rights agreement, which binds current conference members and broadcast partner ESPN to the league through 2036.

It schools want to break the grant of rights agreements, the ACC contends those schools must pay an exorbitant exit fee of roughly $140 million.

According to Clemson’s suit:

“Clemson makes this motion on the grounds that the Complaint refers to and describes portions of agreements between the ACC on the one hand, and ESPN, Inc. and ESPN Enterprises, Inc. (together, “ESPN”) on the other hand—specifically, the Amended Multimedia Agreement and the Network Agreement (together, the “ESPN Agreements”)—and that the parties to these agreements maintain that the terms thereof are confidential and constitute trade secrets.”

Veteran college football reporter Ross Dellenger reported in 2023 that Clemson and Florida State were two of seven ACC schools that met to discuss a possible exit strategy from the league. Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech were the other five schools that met to explore ways to challenge the legality of the ACC’s grant of rights document.

In Tuesday’s court filing, Clemson claims that it “cannot protect and advance its interests, or the interests of its student-athletes, in current and ongoing negotiations within the Conference, with the Conference’s existing media partner ESPN, and in collegiate athletics more generally.”

Per the suit:

“The ACC’s actions interfere with Clemson’s free exercise of its rights and are fatally detrimental to Clemson’s efforts to ensure that its athletic programs can continue to compete at the highest level, which is critically important to Clemson even beyond athletics.” Clemson has been a charter member of the ACC since the league’s creation in 1953.

Clemson has been a charter member of the ACC since the league was founded in 1953.

You can read the school’s full lawsuit here.

WATCH: PJ Hall, Chase Hunter and Joe Girard talk Selection Sunday

Here’s everything Hall, Hunter, and senior Joe Girard told reporters on Selection Sunday.

Clemson had to wait a while before seeing its name appear on screen during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.

Enough of a wait to give seniors PJ Hall and Chase Hunter a bit of anxiety, it seems.

Clemson (21-11 overall) had nothing to worry about in the end, but it took until the reveal of the final region — the West Region, where No. 6 seed Clemson will face No. 11 New Mexico Friday — before the Tigers learned their fate and where they’d be playing.

The Tigers will face the Lobos (26-9) in a scheduled 3:15 p.m. EDT tipoff. The game will be televised on truTV. New Mexico won the Mountain West Tournament to secure an automatic bid to the Dance.

“Me and Chase had PTSD, man,” Hall said Sunday. “I’m sitting there like, ‘There’s no way.’ But yeah, right before, (Hunter said) ‘I hope we’re not in the first (regional announced) for a little bit of buildup. But I didn’t want that much buildup. It’s exciting. Special stuff.”

Here’s everything Hall, Hunter, and senior Joe Girard said after Clemson learned where and when they’d be playing.

UConn back at No. 1 in AP, Coaches Top 25 polls

UConn is back in the top spot in both the new AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll and USA TODAY Sports coaches poll. The Huskies defeated Marquette Saturday night at Madison Square Garden to clinch the Big East Tournament. They also won the …

UConn is back in the top spot in both the new AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll and USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.

The Huskies defeated Marquette Saturday night at Madison Square Garden to clinch the Big East Tournament. They also won the regular season conference championship and head into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 overall seed at 31-3 overall.

UConn is hoping to become the first men’s basketball program to repeat as tournament champions since Florida in 2006 and 2007.

Houston (30-4) fell to No. 2 after being blown out, 69-41, by Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game Saturday night. Iowa State’s win propelled the Cyclones (27-7) to No. 4. They moved up three spots in the AP poll and four spots in the coaches poll.

Purdue (29-4) remained at No. 3 in both polls, and North Carolina (27-7) came in at No. 5. Houston, Purdue, and North Carolina were awarded the other No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament by the selection committee Sunday.

Tennessee (24-8) dropped one spot to No. 6 after suffering a 17-point loss to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament last week. Auburn (27-7), which won the SEC Tournament Sunday, climbed five spots in both polls to No. 7.

Marquette (25-9), Arizona (25-8), and Big Ten Tournament champion Illinois (26-8) rounded out the top 10 in both polls.

Duke (24-8) was the only ACC team ranked in the top 25 other than North Carolina. The Blue Devils checked in at No. 13 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the coaches poll.

Clemson (21-11) received no votes for consideration in either poll after its loss in the ACC Tournament to Boston College. The Tigers were awarded an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed and will play No. 11 seed New Mexico Friday at 2:15 p.m. EDT at Memphis’ FedExForum. The game will be televised by truTV.

Everything Brad Brownell said on Selection Sunday

Here’s everything Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after the Tigers were awarded an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Brad Brownell called it a “great day for Clemson basketball.”

That was after the Tigers were chosen as a No. 6 seed by the selection committee for this year’s NCAA Tournament .

It’s the 14th time in school history that Clemson will head to the Dance. The last time the Tigers appeared in the NCAA Tournament, in 2021, they fell in the first round to Rutgers in a No. 10 vs. 7 seed matchup.

Clemson’s last win in the tournament was in 2018. They defeated New Mexico State and Auburn before falling to Kansas in the Sweet 16.

Now, after a 21-11 season that included wins over North Carolina, Alabama, and other teams with impressive tournament résumés, the Tigers will face Mountain West Tournament champion New Mexico (26-9) at FedExForum in Memphis Friday.

The game is scheduled for a 3:10 p.m. EDT tipoff and will be televised by truTV. It will be Clemson’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with Brownell as coach.

Here’s everything Brownell said on Selection Sunday after Clemson’s at-large bid was announced.

Streaming tips for Clemson fans ahead of March Madness

Fans of March Madness will have more streaming choices than ever before this year.

Thanks to TNT Sports’ sister streaming platform Max (formerly HBOMAX), streaming this year’s NCAA Tournament will be an option for those without traditional cable or popular live streaming services such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live.

Max, via its B/R Sports add-on, will offer subscribers live streams of NCAA Tournament games that are selected for broadcast on TNT, TBS, and truTV — the latter of which will televise Clemson’s first-round matchup against New Mexico Friday.

The Tigers and Lobos are scheduled for a 3:10 p.m. EDT tipoff from Memphis’ FedExForum. Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel and Jon Rothstein will have the call of the game for truTV.

truTV and TNT will combine to broadcast 25 games total — 13 on truTV and 12 on TNT. TBS will broadcast 21 games. Those combined 46 games will be available via the Max app on both smartphones and other smart devices. The Final Four, as well as the national championship game on April 8, will be televised by TBS.

CBS will broadcast 21 games. Games televised by CBS will not be available for streaming on the Max app, however. Viewers looking for CBS games can still find them via the network’s streaming partner Paramount+, which recently streamed CBS’ coverage of Super Bowl LVIII.

Next year, part of the NCAA Tournament will be shown for the first time on the new, yet-to-be-named joint venture streaming service that will combine TNT Sports (formerly Turner Sports), ESPN, and Fox Sports.

That streaming service — often referred to as “Spulu” in many online circles — will still exclude CBS broadcasts, which aren’t involved in the TNT/ESPN/Fox alliance. The joint venture between TNT, ESPN and Fox is scheduled to debut this fall.

The NCAA also offers streaming of the tournament via its March Madness Live app or NCAA.com.

Live audio

Fans that are in the car or on the go and want to be able to listen to NCAA Tournament radio broadcasts can do so with a subscription to SiriusXM satellite radio, which offers complete play-by-play of all tournament games.

Clemson vs. New Mexico will be broadcast on SiriusXM channel 202 Friday. Full channel assignments are available at siriusxm.com/sports.

SiriusXM broadcasts the tournament via the NCAA’s national radio feed, Westwood One. Fans hoping to listen to team-specific broadcasts, like those that air on the Clemson Athletic Network, will have to tune in to their local radio affiliate or visit an affiliate’s official website.

Bracketology: CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has Clemson in No. 8 vs. 9 matchup in NCAA Tournament

In his Friday morning bracketology update, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm sees Clemson in a first-round No. 8 vs. 9 matchup against Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament.

Where will Clemson land in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday?

It’s anyone’s guess after the Tigers suffered an embarrassing 21-point loss to Boston College in the ACC Tournament at Washington’s Capital One Arena earlier this week. One thing is for certain: Clemson didn’t help its seeding chances any, and that shows in the latest NCAA Tournament bracketology predictions.

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm updated his projections Friday morning and sees Clemson slipping into a No. 8 vs. No. 9 first-round matchup against Oklahoma.

The Sooners are 20-12 this season and finished ninth in a loaded Big 12 conference.

Palm forecasts the potential Tigers-Sooners matchup to be in the Midwest Region of the tournament in Indianapolis. That would be the toughest matchup Clemson could draw because a second-round date with No. 1 overall seed Purdue would await the Tigers in the second round if they managed to get past Oklahoma.

Oklahoma has Quadrant 1 wins over Iowa State, Cincinnati, Kansas State and BYU, plus five wins against Quad 2 teams. The Sooners are currently 44th in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Clemson is 36th in NET rankings.

Palm’s projected No. 1 seeds are Purdue, Houston, UConn, and Tennessee.

Bracketology: Joe Lunardi says Clemson will face this Big Ten school in NCAA Tournament

In Friday’s update, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi sees Clemson slipping from a No. 6 seed to a No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against Michigan State in a 7 vs. 10 battle.

Clemson’s 21-point blowout loss to Boston College in Wednesday night’s ACC Tournament opener cost the Tigers any chance at improving their seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers (21-11 overall) came out lifeless and never even cut the lead down to single digits after trailing 40-28 at halftime.

It was a disappointing end to an ACC season that saw many ups and downs for Clemson, which began the year 11-1 and ranked as high as No. 13 at one point, only to finish just one game over .500 in conference play.

While confidence may seem low, the NCAA Tournament is another beast and Clemson will have a chance to redeem itself beginning next week. To that end, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has updated his bracketology projections with who he sees as the complete list of NCAA Tournament teams and where they will land.

In Friday’s update, Lunardi sees Clemson slipping from a No. 6 seed to a No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against Michigan State in a 7 vs. 10 battle.

The Spartans (19-13 overall) defeated Minnesota in their Big Ten Tournament opener on Thursday and are set to square off against projected No. 1 overall seed Purdue (28-3) Friday. Purdue won the Big Ten’s regular season championship.

Lunardi forecasts the Tigers-Spartans matchup to be in the South Region of the tournament at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. If that projection holds, it should give Clemson a significant home court advantage.

Michigan State finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten regular season standings They have Quadrant 1 wins over Baylor, Indiana State and Illinois, plus six wins against Quad 2 teams. Tom Izzo’s Spartans are currently 24th in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Clemson is 36th in NET rankings.

In Friday’s updated projections, Lunardi awards the most NCAA Tournament bids to the Big 12 with nine, followed by the SEC with eight. His projected No. 1 seeds are Purdue, Houston, UConn, and North Carolina.

The Tar Heels won the ACC regular season championship and are two wins away from winning the ACC Tournament entering Friday.

Amanda Butler out as Clemson women’s basketball coach

After six seasons, Clemson is parting ways with women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler.

Butler compiled an overall record of 86-102 (32-75 in conference play) in her six seasons as Tigers coach. Clemson was 12-19 this past season, including 5-13 in ACC games. The program finished 12th in league standings.

The Tigers made only one NCAA Tournament appearance with Butler as coach — in her first season back in 2018-19. That year, Clemson went 20-13 overall and fell to Mississippi State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The program has had only one winning season since then — in 2022-23, when the Tigers finished 19-16 overall. Clemson accepted an invitation to the WNIT and reached the Super 16 before falling to Florida, the school Butler had previously coached before she was hired by Clemson.

The Tigers have made just two Women’s NCAA Tournament appearances dating back to the 2001-2002 season.

Peegs.com’s Talia Goodman was the first to report the news of Butler’s departure from the program in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter.