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.