Chase Hunter and the Clemson Tigers had the full week off for the Christmas break after defeating ACC rival Wake Forest, 73-62, at Littlejohn Coliseum back on Dec. 21.
With limited action around the country this past week due to the holidays, the Tigers (10-3 overall) remained unranked in the new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, released Monday, Dec. 30.
Clemson was one of 14 teams that received votes for Top 25 consideration, garnering nine votes in the coaches poll.
The Tigers return to action Wednesday on New Year’s Day when they host the Stanford Cardinal at 4 p.m. ET on ACC Network. After that, Clemson welcomes fellow ACC newcomer California to Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
ESPN’s Matchup Predictor currently gives Clemson an 89 percent chance of beating Stanford.
The top nine spots of the Coaches Poll remained the same from last week. For the fourth consecutive week, Rick Barnes’ Tennessee Volunteers (12-0) were ranked No. 1, with Johni Broome and the Auburn Tigers (11-1) ranked No. 2. Iowa State (10-1) was No. 3 with Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils (10-2) at No. 4.
The Alabama Crimson Tide were ranked No. 6 with the preseason No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks ranked No. 7. Marquette (No. 8), Oregon (No. 9) and Oklahoma rounded out the top 10.
For the third straight week, Duke was the only ACC team ranked in the Coaches Poll Top 25.
Week 9 USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll
| Ranking | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | 12-0 | 764 (20) | – |
| 2 | Auburn | 11-1 | 747 (11) | – |
| 3 | Iowa State | 10-1 | 707 | – |
| 4 | Duke | 10-2 | 664 | – |
| 5 | Florida | 13-0 | 651 | – |
| 6 | Alabama | 11-2 | 626 | – |
| 7 | Kansas | 9-2 | 552 | – |
| 8 | Marquette | 11-2 | 539 | – |
| 9 | Oregon | 12-1 | 491 | – |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 13-0 | 476 | +1 |
| 11 | Kentucky | 10-2 | 428 | -1 |
| 12 | Texas A&M | 11-2 | 424 | +1 |
| 13 | UConn | 10-3 | 416 | +1 |
| 14 | Houston | 8-3 | 386 | -2 |
| 15 | Michigan State | 10-2 | 270 | +3 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 11-1 | 267 | +3 |
| 17 | Cincinnati | 10-1 | 259 | – |
| 18 | UCLA | 11-2 | 255 | +3 |
| 19 | Gonzaga | 9-4 | 170 | -4 |
| 20 | Illinois | 9-3 | 129 | +2 |
| 21 | Baylor | 8-3 | 113 | +2 |
| 22 | Purdue | 8-3 | 108 | +3 |
| 23 | Ole Miss | 7-3 | 92 | -7 |
| 24 | Maryland | 11-2 | 90 | +2 |
| 25 | Memphis | 10-3 | 87 | +8 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 20 San Diego State; No. 24 St. John’s;
Others Receiving Votes
St. John’s 70; Arkansas 58; Drake 53; Michigan 49; Utah State 42; Georgia 36; San Diego State 30; Dayton 19; Texas Tech 12; Pittsburgh 10; Clemson 9; West Virginia 8; Missouri 6; North Carolina 1;
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