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Bracketology: Where Joe Lunardi ranks Clemson entering ACC Tournament

Longtime ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi moved the Tigers (21-10 overall, 11-9 ACC) from a No. 5 to a No. 6 seed in his latest bracketology rankings, released early Tuesday.

Clemson suffered an 81-76 loss on Saturday at Wake Forest. How much did that loss cost the Tigers in projected NCAA Tournament seeding?

Longtime ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi moved the Tigers (21-10 overall, 11-9 ACC) from a No. 5 to a No. 6 seed in his latest projections, released early Tuesday.

Clemson had been a 5 seed after wins over Pitt and Syracuse, but the Tigers suffered back to back road losses to close the regular season. They have dropped two of their last three games entering this week’s ACC Tournament.

Lunardi now sees a first-round No. 6 vs. No. 11 seed matchup between Clemson and the winner of a play-in game between St. John’s and Indiana State in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. The Red Storm are one of six Big East schools Lunardi forecasts to make the Dance. St. John’s enters the Big East Tournament at 19-12 overall and 11-9 in conference play.

Indiana State (28-7, 17-3) plays in the Missouri Valley Conference. Drake (29-6, 17-3) won a head to head matchup between the two schools in Sunday’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game to secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier.

The MVC typically doesn’t have more than one team make the Dance, but there is some precedent for the league receiving two bids. In 2021, Drake received an at-large berth in the tournament after Loyola Chicago won the conference tournament. Working in Indiana State’s favor is that the Sycamores enter the week 29th in the NCAA’s NET rankings.

The potential Clemson vs. St. John’s/Indiana State tilt would take place at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena in the East Region of the tournament, Lunardi foresees. No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 14 seed Morehead State are in the same bubble in Lunardi’s latest projections.

ACC regular season champion North Carolina is a projected No. 2 seed with Duke as a 3 seed. Virginia is a projected 11 seed and one of Lunardi’s “Last Four In.” Pitt and Wake Forest are ACC teams that also have a chance to play their way into the NCAA Tournament with big weeks.

Lunardi awards the most NCAA Tournament bids by conference to the Big 12 with nine, followed by the SEC with seven. His projected No. 1 seeds are Purdue, Houston, UConn, and Tennessee.

Clemson returns to the court Wednesday when the Tigers face the winner of Tuesday’s ACC Tournament opener between Miami and Boston College at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena. Tipoff is listed as 9:30 p.m. (EDT). The game will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Ian Schieffelin named ACC’s Most Improved Player

Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player as part of the league’s annual all-conference awards Monday. Schieffelin has been a big part of the Tigers’ quest for March Madness glory. He helped Clemson to a 21-10 regular season …

Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player as part of the league’s annual all-conference awards Monday.

Schieffelin has been a big part of the Tigers’ quest for March Madness glory. He helped Clemson to a 21-10 regular season by averaging 9.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game..

Schieffelin had one of his best performances of the year in last Tuesday’s 90-75 victory over Syracuse when he scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

After that game, Clemson coach Brad Brownell made his pitch for why he believed Schieffelin deserved the award for Most Improved Player.

“The guy has been unbelievable,” Brownell said of Schieffelin. “Obviously he’s playing with other elite players so it’s not like he’s getting overshadowed. People notice, but that performance — those 16 rebounds — unbelievable. What that equates to in terms of extra points for us, I think he’s certainly the most improved player.”

Schieffelin more than doubled his rebound totals from last season when he averaged four rebounds per night. He’s also raised his scoring average from 5.5 points per game as a sophomore to 9.7 in his junior season.

In addition, Schieffelin has connected on 19 of 36 3-pointers this season (52.8 percent). That’s up from 33 percent a year ago.

“He’s a remarkable rebounder who does an unbelievable job of pursuing the ball,” Brownell said. “He’s not always great running, but… he’s got strength in his hands, strength in his legs, the whole position. He’s just a powerful player. What a breakout year he’s had.”

Schieffelin and the Tigers return to the court Wednesday night for the ACC Tournament at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena. Clemson will face the winner of Tuesday’s first-round contest between Miami and Boston College. The game will be broadcast on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

North Carolina, Creighton on the move in new Coaches Poll

For the third consecutive week, Houston was No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

Houston was No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

It’s the third straight week the Cougars (28-3 overall) were ranked No. 1 in both the coaches poll and AP Top 25 poll.

UConn (28-3) remained at No. 2 and Purdue (28-3) stayed at No. 3 in the new poll, released Monday.

Houston received 29 first-place votes after a 30-point blowout win over Big 12 rival Kansas to clinch the conference’s regular season title and continue making its case for the No. 1 overall seed in this month’s NCAA Tournament.

A big mover in the top 10 was North Carolina (25-6), which climbed three spots from last week’s poll to No. 4 after its 84-79 victory over Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday night.

North Carolina’s regular-season series sweep of Duke saw the Tar Heels move back into the top five for the first time in four weeks — when they were ranked fifth back on Feb. 12.

Duke (24-7) dropped three spots to No. 11 in the coaches poll. No other ACC school was ranked or received consideration from the 32 NCAA coaches who make up the poll.

Tennessee (24-7) rounded out the top five. The Volunteers defeated South Carolina last week to win the SEC’s regular season title but fell to Kentucky in Knoxville on Saturday to drop one spot from No. 4.

John Calipari’s Wildcats (23-8) were a big mover from last week’s rankings, climbing four spots to jump back into the top 10 at No. 9.

No. 6 Creighton (23-8) also moved up four spots after the Bluejays’ 89-75 win over Marquette (23-8). Arizona and Iowa State (both 24-7) fell two spots to Nos. 7 and 8, respectively. Marquette fell one spot to round out the top 10.

Florida, San Diego State, and South Florida fell out of the top 25.

Houston stays No. 1 in new AP poll ahead of conference tournament week

Houston remained at No. 1 for the third straight wee in the new AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll released Monday, March 11.

Houston remained No. 1 in the new AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll released Monday, March 11.

The Cougars (28-3 overall) received 52 first-place votes after crushing Big 12 rival Kansas, 76-46, over the weekend to clinch the conference’s regular season title. It’s the third consecutive week that Kelvin Sampson’s team has been ranked in the top spot.

UConn (28-3) and Purdue (28-3) both stayed at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.

No. 4 North Carolina (25-6) moved up three spots to get back into the top five after its impressive 84-79 victory over Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday night.

The Tar Heels finished off a regular-season sweep of Duke to clinch the ACC’s regular season championship.

Duke (24-7) dropped two spots to No. 11 after its loss to Carolina.

Tennessee (24-7) clinched the regular season SEC title last week, but its 85-81 home loss to Kentucky dropped the Volunteers (24-7) to No. 5 in this week’s poll.

Arizona (24-7), Iowa State (24-7), Creighton (23-8), Kentucky (23-8), and Marquette (23-8) rounded out the top 10.

Kentucky’s victory over Tennessee allowed the Wildcats to jump six spots in the new AP poll.

Clemson (21-10), which finished its regular season with an 81-76 road loss to Wake Forest on Saturday, received no votes for top 25 consideration from the various sportswriters and broadcasters who make up the AP poll.

The Big 12 had the most ranked teams of any conference this week with six. The SEC was second with five schools ranked.

Clemson will face the winner of Tuesday’s first-round ACC Tournament contest between Miami and Boston College on Wednesday night in Washington D.C. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised by either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Everything Brad Brownell said after Tigers’ loss to Wake Forest

Here’s everything Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after Saturday night’s 81-76 loss to Wake Forest.

Clemson couldn’t find a way to get it done in a clutch game on the road Saturday at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.

The Demon Deacons (19-12 overall, 11-9 ACC) defeated Clemson, 81-76, to finish their season 16-1 at home.

Hunter Sallis led all scorers with 22 points for Wake Forest, which made 12 of its last 13 shots in Saturday’s contest. The ‘Deacs’ also got a boost to their own NCAA Tournament hopes with a solid victory over a Quadrant 1 opponent.

PJ Hall had 18 points for Clemson (21-10, 11-9), and Chase Hunter added 17.

The loss cost the Tigers the double bye in the ACC Tournament (awarded to the top four teams in conference standings), which begins Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Because of Pitt’s win over NC State Saturday night, the Tigers will now play Wednesday at D.C.’s Capital One Arena instead of Thursday. Their opponent will be the winner of Tuesday’s first-round matchup between Boston College and Miami.

Clemson is still in good shape for the NCAA Tournament, however; nothing Saturday was going to impact the Tigers’ chances of reaching the Dance.

Now, the team will see if it can go deep in the conference tournament for a chance at higher seeding in the selection committee’s final brackets. Those will be announced on Selection Sunday, March 17.

Here’s everything Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after Saturday’s loss to Wake Forest.

Clemson falls in crucial regular season finale at Wake Forest, 81-76

Needing a win to clinch a double bye in the ACC Tournament, Clemson came up short in an 81-76 loss to Wake Forest Saturday at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem.

Hunter Sallis led all scorers with 22 points for Wake Forest, which received a boost to its NCAA Tournament hopes with a solid victory over a Quad 1 opponent.

The Demon Deacons (19-12 overall, 11-9 ACC) made 12 of their last 13 shots to overcome a five-point deficit earlier in the second half.

“We had chances… we just weren’t quite tough enough to finish the win,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said afterwards. “Give (Wake Forest) credit. Their shot-making was elite.”

Clemson (21-10 overall, 11-9 conference) got 18 points from PJ Hall but turned in an otherwise disappointing finish in the team’s regular season finale.

The Tigers got off to a sluggish start and trailed at halftime, 34-28. Wake Forest pushed its lead to eight early in the second half before Clemson used a 21-8 run to take a five-point lead at 49-44 around the 12-minute mark of the half.

Things slowly slipped away after that. Parker Friedrichsen and Efton Reid made clutch 3-pointers on back to back trips down the floor to open up a 56-52 Wake Forest led with 9:20 to play.

When Andrew Carr and Kevin Miller added their own 3-point baskets, the ‘Deacs’ had extended their lead to nine at 70-61.

Chase Hunter hit a step-back 3-pointer with 15 seconds left that cut the lead to three at 77-74, but Wake Forest closed the game 4-for-4 from the foul line to lock up a much-needed victory headed into the conference tournament.

Hunter had 17 points for Clemson, Joe Girard added 14 points, and Jack Clark had 10.

Carr had 17 for Wake Forest.

The Tigers could still get a double bye if NC State beats Pitt Saturday night. A Pitt win would give the Panthers the ACC’s No. 4 seed and the double bye. In that scenario, Clemson would have to play a Wednesday game in the tournament, which begins Tuesday at Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena.

Clemson vs. Wake Forest: Where to Watch/Stream/Listen

Clemson can lock up a double bye in the ACC Tournament this weekend when it travels to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest in the regular season finale for both teams at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Clemson can lock up a double bye in the ACC Tournament when it travels to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest in the regular season finale for both teams at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Saturday.

The Tigers (21-9 overall) come into the weekend fourth in ACC standings. They’re tied with Pitt at 11-8 in conference play, but a tiebreaker would belong to Clemson since the team swept both games against the Panthers this season, including 69-62 on Feb. 27 at Littlejohn Coliseum.

A win by the Tigers would cap an 8-2 finish to the regular season after a rough 3-6 start against ACC opponents at the start of January.

In Tuesday’s 90-75 victory over Syracuse on Senior Night, Clemson got big nights from its seniors: 25 points from PJ Hall and 21 from Joe Girard. Chase Hunter added 17 points, and junior Ian Schieffelin tallied 16 points with 16 rebounds as the Tigers got a balanced effort on offense and defense.

With the NCAA Tournament looming, Clemson has been on the upswing in recent March Madness and bracketology forecasts. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Clemson as a No. 5 seed in his latest tournament projections while CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm sees Clemson as a No. 6 seed.

Facing the Tigers is a Wake Forest team that has fallen flat since its 83-79 home victory over Duke two weekends ago. The game ended in a controversial court storming with Duke center Kyle Filipowski suffering an injury.

Since beating Duke, the Demon Deacons (18-12, 10-9) have lost three straight, all to mid- to lower-tier ACC competition: Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and most recently Georgia Tech. That fall has taken Wake Forest as a team on the NCAA bubble to being an afterthought in NCAA Tournament projections.

Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo made a game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds left in a crushing Wake Forest loss on Tuesday. The game was the first home loss of the season for Wake, which was led by Hunter Sallis’ 22 points.

Series History and Recent History

Wake Forest leads the all-time head to head series with Clemson, 101-66, but Brad Brownell has compiled a 15-4 record against the Demon Deacons in his 13 seasons as Tigers head coach. Wake Forest is Clemson’s second most common opponent in school history behind North Carolina. The Tigers have won four of the past six meetings against the ‘Deacs’ dating back to 2020.

How To Watch

Here’s a look at how and where Clemson fans can watch, listen, and stream Saturday’s game.

Date: Saturday, March 9

Time: 6 p.m. EST

Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum

TV Channel: ACC Network

Live Stream: ESPN+

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network | TuneIn App | SiriusXM (Channel 383)

Broadcast Teams

ACC Network: Wes Durham, Eric Devendorf

Clemson Radio: Don Munson, Tim Bourret

Friday bracketology: Joe Lunardi has Clemson facing this Ivy League school

In his latest projections, updated Friday morning, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Clemson facing the Princeton Tigers from the Ivy League in a No. 5 vs. 12 seed battle.

Clemson has reeled off wins in seven of its last nine games, including this week’s 90-75 victory over Syracuse at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Last week, veteran ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi moved Clemson (21-9 overall, 11-8 ACC) up to a projected No. 5 seed in his March Madness predictions for the NCAA Tournament after the Tigers defeated Pitt, previously a Quadrant 1 opponent, 69-62.

In his latest projections, updated Friday morning, Lunardi has Clemson facing the Princeton Tigers from the Ivy League in a No. 5 vs. 12 seed battle.

Princeton is 23-3 overall this season and is tied with Yale atop the Ivy League standings at 11-2 in conference play. Princeton and Yale split their two head-to-head regular season contests, with Princeton winning 73-62 in the most recent matchup on Feb. 17.

The Ivy League conference tournament is scheduled for next weekend, March 16 and 17, on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. Only four of the league’s eight schools reach the conference tournament each year.

Princeton last made the NCAA Tournament in 2023. The Tigers defeated Arizona and Missouri before falling to Creighton in the Sweet 16 a year ago. Princeton has 26 all-time appearances in the Dance, the most of any Ivy League member.

The projected Clemson vs. Princeton matchup would take place at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena in the Midwest Regional, Lunardi forecasts. In the same Pittsburgh site in Lunardi’s projected bracket are No. 4 seed Kentucky and No. 13 seed Appalachian State.

Lunardi now sees only four ACC schools reaching the Dance: Clemson, current ACC leader North Carolina, Duke, and Virginia. In Friday’s updated rankings, Lunardi has Virginia as his last team in. North Carolina and Duke will face off Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium with the ACC regular season championship on the line.

As has been the case for much of the season, Lunardi awards the most NCAA tournament bids by conference to the Big 12 with nine. The SEC is second with seven.

Lunardi’s projected No. 1 seeds are Purdue, UConn, Houston, and Tennessee. The Vols are ranked No. 4 in the country and have won seven straight games entering the weekend. Their last four victories have all been against Quad 1 teams: Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina.

For its part, Clemson will travel to Wake Forest on Saturday for a scheduled 6 p.m. EST tipoff against the Demon Deacons. The Tigers will be looking to lock up a double bye in next week’s ACC Tournament. Saturday’s game will be televised by ACC Network.

Is Ian Schieffelin ACC’s most improved player? Brad Brownell thinks so

Clemson coach Brad Brownell said that he believes Ian Schieffelin should be the ACC’s 2024 Comeback Player of the Year.

With March Madness approaching, Clemson has positioned itself in a rather envious position compared to most of the rest of its ACC brethren.

The Tigers sit at 21-9 overall and are fourth in conference standings. They are 24th in the NCAA’s NET rankings and a projected No. 5 seed in various bracketology predictions in terms of NCAA Tournament seeding.

The team is hoping to end the regular season on a high note when it travels to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest Saturday. A win against the Demon Deacons would give Clemson a double bye in the ACC Tournament.

Part of the reason for the Tigers’ successful season, which includes Quadrant 1 wins over Alabama, TCU and ACC leader North Carolina, has been the play of junior Ian Schieffelin.

Schieffelin had 16 points to go with 16 rebounds in the Tigers’ 90-75 victory over Syracuse Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. He’s averaging almost 10 rebounds a night and 10 points per game as one of Clemson’s premier anchors around the basket with senior PJ Hall.

For his efforts this season, Tigers coach Brad Brownell said that he believes Schieffelin should be the ACC’s 2024 Comeback Player of the Year.

Brownell also spoke to Schieffelin’s size (he’s listed as 6’8″, 238 pounds) and said that he was a better athlete than people might think.

Schieffelin and the Tigers will close out the regular season Saturday with a scheduled 5 p.m. EST tipoff in Winston-Salem. The game will be televised by ACC Network.

Everything Brad Brownell said after Clemson defeated Syracuse

Here’s everything Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after Clemson defeated Syracuse, 90-75, Tuesday at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after Clemson’s 90-75 victory over Syracuse on Tuesday that he had hoped to get the ball inside to the Tigers’ big men, PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin.

The Tigers (21-9 overall, 11-8 ACC) were able to do that in a big way as Hall finished with 25 points and Schieffelin scored 16 points to go with 16 rebounds in a Senior Night victory at Littlejohn Coliseum.

“Part of it is the way they guard,” Brownell said of his game plan and Syracuse’s defensive approach. “They try to make it hard on Joe (Girard), which opens up space for other guys. We knew that with the way they guarded, there were going to be some shots for PJ. PJ has such a quick release that he’s going to be able to get some shots off any time.”

Along with Hall and Schieffelin, seniors Girard and Chase Hunter had big nights for Clemson. Girard finished with 21 points, including four 3-pointers. Hunter added 17 points as the Tigers had four players in double figures.

Tuesday’s win moved Clemson one step closer to securing a double bye in this month’s ACC Tournament, which begins March 12 at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena. The Tigers can clinch the double bye with a win at Wake Forest Saturday.

Here’s everything Brownell said after Clemson defeated Syracuse.