A rough start to the new year has seen Clemson fall out of both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches Top 25 polls, as well as take a dive in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology projections.
Clemson’s four losses in five games to begin 2024 — including an inexplicable home loss to Georgia Tech last Tuesday in which the Tigers (13-5 overall) blew a nine-point lead with just over 90 seconds to play in regulation — have caused the team to fall to a projected No. 7 seed in Lunardi’s latest Bracketology update.
Lunardi sees the Tigers facing projected 10 seed TCU, one of 10 Big 12 schools he forecasts to make the NCAA Tournament in March. The theoretical Tigers-Horned Frogs tilt would take place in the East Regional at Boston’s TD Garden, per Lunardi.
The three other No. 7 seeds in Lunardi’s Bracketology predictions are Utah State (West Regional), Utah (Midwest), and Michigan State (South).
By conference, Lunardi’s projections award the most tournament bids to the Big 12 with 10. The SEC is second with eight schools projected to make the field of 68.
Perhaps most striking is that only three ACC schools — Clemson, Duke and North Carolina — are currently projected by Lunardi to make the NCAA Tournament. That’s tied with the Pac-12 and AAC for the fewest projected schools of any non-automatic qualifier conference.
No. 3 North Carolina (16-3) is projected as a 1 seed in the South Regional, to be held at Dallas’ American Airlines Center. Duke (13-4) fell from a projected No. 3 seed to a 4 seed in Lunardi’s ratings after the Blue Devils lost to Pitt over the week.
Clemson will travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST and will be broadcast by ESPN. The Tigers haven’t won at Cameron since Jan. 4, 1995.