clemson basketball – Syndication Server

Clemson basketball sees big jump in expert’s latest NCAA Tournament projections

Clemson takes a BIG step forward in this expert’s new NCAA Tournament projections.

At 17-4 overall and 9-1 in conference play, the Clemson Tigers are gaining steam and finally getting the attention of several NCAA Tournament and March Madness experts — including one in particular.

In his latest bracketology update, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm moved Clemson up three spots to a projected No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Palm’s new projections have the Tigers in the Midwest Region bracket along with the No. 1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide. Clemson and Alabama met last season in the Elite Eight in Los Angeles, a 92-89 Crimson Tide victory.

Palm sees the Tigers facing projected Southland Conference champion McNeese State, led by former LSU Tigers coach Will Wade.

Over at USA TODAY Sports, Clemson stayed as a projected No. 7 seed in the new field of 68 forecast from experts Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus. The three-man panel see the Tigers facing an SEC team in the first round — the Oklahoma Sooners in a No. 7/10 game.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi also kept Clemson as a No. 7 seed in his new projections, released Tuesday. In Lunardi’s forecast, the Tigers get a familiar regional rival in the first round in the Georgia Bulldogs.

Clemson picked up its fifth-straight win with a 72-57 victory over Virginia Tech last Saturday at Cassell Coliseum. Chauncey Wiggins had 16 points, including four 3-pointers, to tie a season-high in scoring, and freshman Del Jones added a career-high 13 points against the Hokies.

The Tigers travel to Raleigh to take on rival NC State (9-11, 2-7) Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on The CW Network.

Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.

Clemson basketball moves back into Top 25 in new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Clemson jumps back into the Top 25 of the Coaches Poll after five straight wins.

The Clemson Tigers moved back into the Top 25 of the new USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll, released Monday.

Clemson (17-4 overall, 9-1 ACC) was ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll following their fifth straight win in conference play, 72-57 at Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Tigers got 16 points from Chauncey Wiggins, who made four of the team’s seven 3-pointers in the win in Blacksburg.

Freshman Del Jones added a season-high 13 points. Clemson also defeated Syracuse last week, 76-62, at Littlejohn Coliseum.

It’s the second time this season that Brad Brownell’s team was ranked in the Top 25; the Tigers were No. 16 in the Coaches Poll back on Dec. 9 after their 9-1 start to the season.

Clemson joined Louisville (15-5, 8-1) as the second ACC team to enter the rankings this week. The Cardinals were ranked No. 22 in Monday’s poll and handed the Tigers their only loss in ACC play, 74-64 back on Jan. 7. Louisville has won nine straight games entering the week.

The Auburn Tigers (18-1) were ranked No. 1 for the third straight week, followed by the Duke Blue Devils (17-2) at No. 2, and Iowa State (17-2) at No. 3. The Alabama Crimson Tide (17-3) were ranked No. 4, and the Houston Cougars (16-3) rounded out the top five.

Clemson will meet NC State (9-10, 2-6) Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET at Lenovo Center in Raleigh. The game will be televised on The CW Network.

Full Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Week 13

Rank	School	Record	Points
1	Auburn	18-1	775 (31)
2	Duke	17-2	741
3	Iowa State	17-2	689
4	Alabama	17-3	676
5	Houston	16-3	635
6	Florida	18-2	634
7	Michigan State	17-2	583
8	Tennessee	17-3	564
9	Marquette	17-3	536
10	Purdue	16-5	476
11	Kansas	14-5	429
12	Kentucky	14-5	399
13	Mississippi State	16-4	324
14	St. John’s	17-3	318
15	Texas A&M	15-5	310
16	Memphis	16-4	242
17	Wisconsin	16-4	214
18	Oregon	16-4	201
19	Texas Tech	15-4	169
20	Illinois	14-6	166
21	Missouri	14-6	163
22	Louisville	15-5	162
23	Ole Miss	15-5	104
24	UConn	14-6	100
25	Clemson	17-4	96

Schools Dropped Out

No. 20 Michigan; No. 23 West Virginia

Others Receiving Votes

Michigan 67; Gonzaga 55; Maryland 50; Vanderbilt 44; Saint Mary’s 41; Arizona 41; Utah State 22; Creighton 18; West Virginia 17; Georgia 6; Baylor 4; New Mexico 3; UC Irvine 1

Best photos of Clemson basketball’s 72-57 win at Virginia Tech

17 of the best game photos from the Tigers’ 72-57 win at Virginia Tech on Saturday.

The Clemson Tigers got a career-high 13 points from freshman Del Jones, and Chauncey Wiggins tied a season-high with 16 in a 72-57 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum Saturday night.

With the win, Clemson (17-4 overall) improved to 9-1 in conference play, just a half-game behind the ACC-leading Duke Blue Devils, the No. 2 team in the country. Curiously, the Tigers have remained unranked all season — save for a brief week at No. 16 after a 9-1 start in nonconference play.

Clemson led by as many as 19 in the second half and played most of the night without star Chase Hunter, who didn’t check in to the game until 12 minutes left in the second half. Hunter had two points on 1-of-4 attempts, including three from behind the arc.

With Hunter absent for much of the game, the Tigers got 11 points apiece from Jaeden Zackery and Viktor Lakhin. Zackery, the senior transfer from Boston College, recorded his sixth straight double-digit game.

For their parts, Lakhin connected on five of his six shots from the field, and Wiggins made four of the team’s seven 3-pointers.

Clemson returns to action Saturday at NC State (9-10 overall, 2-6 ACC) at 1:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on The CW Network.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Tigers’ 72-57 win in Blacksburg.

Clemson takes down Virginia Tech for fifth straight ACC win

Clemson’s supporting cast stepped up big as the Tigers beat Virginia Tech for their fifth straight win in ACC play. Here’s how it happened.

Not having Chase Hunter on the floor during the first half didn’t pose much of a problem for the Clemson Tigers against Virginia Tech Saturday night at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

With Hunter not in the starting lineup due to an unspecified illness, Clemson started strong out of the gate and shot 60 percent from the field in the first half. The Tigers beat the Hokies, 72-57.

Clemson’s supporting cast stepped up big in this one. Freshman Del Jones had a career-high 13 points and Chauncey Wiggins tied a season-high with 16. The Tigers (17-4 overall, 9-1 ACC) also got 11 apiece from Viktor Lakhin and Jaeden Zackery.

The Tigers’ first 12 points came from five different shooters. Backup guard Jake Heidbreder and Wiggins connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to stake Clemson to a 12-6 lead early as Virginia Tech began the game by going over five minutes without a field goal.

Brandon Rechsteiner gave the Hokies (8-12, 3-6) a brief lead at 26-24 on a 3-pointer with around 6:30 to play in the half. Clemson answered with a 15-0 run that included 3-pointers from Wiggins and Heidbreder, plus an impressive move to the basket by Lakhin.

Wiggins had 10 points by halftime as Clemson took a 41-29 lead into the break. The Hokies missed their last nine shots from the field in the half as Clemson closed the first 20 minutes on a 17-3 run. The Tigers connected on 5-of-11 from behind the arc in that span.

Clemson went up by 17 in the first two minutes of the second half, but Virginia Tech would soon make it a game.

The Hokies cut the lead to single digits with a 9-0 run that made it 49-43 on a dunk by Tobi Lowal that forced Brad Brownell to call a timeout. Clemson had missed 10 of its last 11 shots at that stage and had made only three of 13 attempts to open the half.

After the timeout, Hunter checked in for his first minutes of action. He launched two quick 3-point attempts right out of the gate but didn’t connect as Clemson went over six minutes without a basket from the field. The Tigers got some breathing room when Wiggins hit his fourth trey from the corner to make it 54-45 with inside 9:30 to play.

Jones got hot, scoring six straight points for the Tigers that included a pair of back-to-back jumpers that made it 68-53 with under four minutes to play. Afterwards, Clemson took a 19-point advantage for their biggest lead of the night.

The Tigers finished the night shooting 48 percent from the field and had 36 points in the paint to Virginia Tech’s 20, including a 22-4 advantage in the paint in the first half.

UP NEXT

Clemson has a midweek bye and will return to action next Saturday vs. NC State in Raleigh. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on The CW Network.

Where Clemson lands in USA TODAY Sports’ first NCAA Tournament bracketology of 2025

Here’s where Clemson is projected in USA TODAY’s first bracketology of the season.

With a four-game winning streak in ACC play and a conference record second only to the Duke Blue Devils and freshman sensation Cooper Flagg, the Clemson Tigers are in a great position to make the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.

To that end, USA TODAY Sports unveiled its first edition of bracketology for the 2024-25 college basketball season Friday.

Brad Brownell’s Tigers were a projected No. 7 seed according to the panel of Paul Myerberg, Eddie Timanus and Erick Smith, who have Clemson facing the Vanderbilt Commodores in a No. 7 vs. No. 10 seed game in the first round of the Midwest Region in Raleigh, N.C.

Duke joined Auburn, Iowa State and Tennessee as projected No. 1 seeds, with Bruce Pearl’s Tigers the overall No. 1 seed. Only four ACC teams were projected to make the NCAA Tournament in USA TODAY Sports’ first field of 68 projections: Louisville and Pittsburgh joined Duke and Clemson, with Wake Forest and North Carolina listed as bubble teams.

Clemson picked up its fourth-straight win with an 86-72 victory over Syracuse earlier this week at Littlejohn Coliseum. Chase Hunter had 18 points in the first half and finished with 23 on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc.

The Tigers travel to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ACC Network.

Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.

Chase Hunter erupts in massive first half as Clemson basketball routs Syracuse

Fun night at Littlejohn as Clemson keeps rolling thanks to Chase Hunter, who went off in the first half.

Much as he’s done throughout his collegiate career, Chase Hunter set the tone for the Clemson Tigers Wednesday night.

Hunter gave Clemson its first lead of the night with a dunk almost eight minutes in and had 18 points in the first half of an 86-72 Tigers blowout of Syracuse at Littlejohn Coliseum. The sixth-year senior from Atlanta finished the night with 23 points — his sixth 20-point game of the season.

Clemson (16-4 overall, 8-1 ACC) won its fourth straight game thanks to Hunter, who was 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from downtown in the game’s first 20 minutes. Two of his four first-half treys came as part of a 10-0 Clemson run to close the half.

The Tigers, who entered the day as a projected No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN, shot almost 60 percent from the field in the first half and led 48-29 at intermission.

In the second half, Clemson would lead by as many as 24 after Hunter sank a pair of foul shots to put his team up 74-50 with less than nine minutes to play in the game.

Viktor Lakhin had 16 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Jaeden Zackery continued his recent hot streak by finishing in double figures with 14 points. Ian Schieffelin also finished in double figures with 11 points, including a pair of dunks.

J.J. Starling led Syracuse (9-10, 3-5) with a game-high 25 points.

Clemson basketball schedule 2025

The Tigers will travel to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech Saturday at Cassell Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.

Experts’ latest projections for Clemson basketball in NCAA Tournament

Here are the experts’ latest NCAA Tournament projections for Clemson.

All the Clemson Tigers can do is keep playing the ACC schedule they’ve been given — and keep winning.

Brad Brownell’s team has done that by winning seven of its first eight games in conference play. The Tigers’ 15-4 overall record entering Wednesday is behind only the ACC-leading Duke Blue Devils (16-2 overall, 8-0 ACC) and freshman sensation Cooper Flagg, who are fighting for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson is No. 31 in the NET rankings and is now 6-4 in games against Quad 1 and Quad 2 teams. Only one of their four losses (at South Carolina) is against a team with practically no hope of making the final 68-team field. In the KenPom ratings, the Tigers are up to No. 27.

Ahead of its game against Syracuse Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network), here’s a look at where various college basketball experts see the Tigers in their latest NCAA Tournament forecasts.

Clemson moves up in Joe Lunardi, Andy Katz NCAA Tournament outlooks

Starting at ESPN, veteran March Madness prognosticator Joe Lunardi has Clemson up one spot in his latest NCAA Tournament projections. Lunardi moved the Tigers from a No. 8 seed to a No. 7 seed after their 78-75 road win in overtime at Pittsburgh over the weekend.

If the tournament started today, Lunardi has Clemson facing No. 10 seed San Diego State in the East Regional in Raleigh, N.C. That same regional includes projected No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 1 seed Duke.

Joining the Blue Devils as No. 1 seeds in Lunardi’s outlook are Alabama, Iowa State, and projected No. 1 overall seed Auburn.

Another veteran March Madness forecaster, Andy Katz, also has Clemson up to a No. 7 seed in the tournament. Katz has the Tigers taking on St. Mary’s in a first-round 7 vs. 10 seed game in the West Region.

Clemson basketball on pace for another magical NCAA Tournament run?

Remember all the head-scratching last season when Brownell’s team, which got blown out in their sole ACC Tournament game against Boston College and limped to the finish line in the regular season, got a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament? Clemson proceeded to take down New Mexico, Baylor and Arizona to get to the Elite Eight.

According to CBS Sports’ veteran bracketologist Jerry Palm, the Tigers might have a similar March Madness run in them this year. In his updated tournament forecast, Palm moved Clemson up to the No. 6 seed in the West Regional. Not only that, he has the Tigers in a first-round rematch with New Mexico.

Auburn, Duke, Alabama and Iowa State were Palm’s projected No. 1 seeds (in that order).

Fox Sports appears skeptical of Clemson’s March Madness hopes

Over at Fox Sports, bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy sees Clemson in the Midwest Regional as a No. 10 seed against the Utah State Aggies. Utah State has been a surprise contender in the Mountain West this season by getting out to a 16-2 start. The Aggies were ranked No. 22 in the Coaches Poll before their first conference loss to UNLV last week.

Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.

Clemson basketball remains just outside USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll Top 25

Clemson garnered 28 votes for Top 25 consideration.

With three straight wins under their belts and a plethora of Top 25 teams losing last week, the Clemson Tigers seemed like a good bet to gain strong consideration for this week’s USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll Top 25.

The Tigers (15-4 overall, 7-1) did just that, garnering 28 votes for Top 25 consideration — the fourth-highest votes among unranked teams — in Monday’s new Coaches Poll. Only ACC rival Louisville (43 votes), Gonzaga (43) and the Georgia Bulldogs (39) garnered more votes outside the Top 25 than the Tigers did.

Clemson was also unranked in Monday’s new AP Top 25 poll, garnering 30 votes for top 25 consideration.

The Tigers defeated the Pitt Panthers, 78-75, in overtime Saturday in Pittsburgh. Earlier in the week, they won 70-59 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Chase Hunter scored 20 points in the Tigers’ win at Pitt, including a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left in overtime. Jaeden Zackery added 16 points and Ian Schieffelin had 15.

Brad Brownell’s team is set to host the Syracuse Orange (9-9, 3-4) at Littlejohn Coliseum Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

The Auburn Tigers (17-1) were No. 1 in the Coaches Poll for the second week in a row, followed by the Duke Blue Devils (16-2) at No. 2. Duke moved up after the previously second-ranked Iowa State Cyclones (15-2) lost to West Virginia in Morgantown over the weekend.

The Alabama Crimson Tide (15-3) rose two spots to No. 3 with Iowa State dropping to No. 4. The Houston Cougars (14-3) rounded out the top five.

Updated USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Ranking	Team	Record	Points	Change
1	Auburn	17-1	774 (30)	–
2	Duke	16-2	739	+1
3	Alabama	15-3	672	+2
4	Iowa State	15-2	668 (1)	–2
5	Houston	14-3	623	+3
6	Florida	16-2	615	-2
7	Tennessee	16-2	584	-1
8	Michigan State	16-2	558	+4
9	Kentucky	14-4	478	–
10	Marquette	15-3	473	-3
11	Kansas	13-4	467	-1
12	Purdue	15-4	452	+3
13	Texas A&M	14-4	383	-2
14	Mississippi State	15-3	341	+4
15	Oregon	15-3	309	-1
16	Ole Miss	15-3	272	+5
17	Illinois	13-5	266	+3
18	UConn	13-5	230	-5
19	Wisconsin	15-3	194	+8
20	Michigan	14-4	180	-1
21	St. John’s	16-3	167	+5
22	Memphis	14-4	130	-5
23	West Virginia	13-4	107	+2
24	Missouri	15-3	77	+14
25	Texas Tech	13-4	53	+8

Schools Dropped Out

No. 16 Gonzaga; No. 22 Utah State; No. 23 Georgia; No. 24 Baylor

Others Receiving Votes

Louisville 43; Gonzaga 43; Georgia 39; Clemson 28; Utah State 26; Saint Mary’s 25; Vanderbilt 16; Oklahoma 16; Maryland 8; Creighton 7; Arizona 6; UCLA 2; UC Irvine 2; Baylor 2

Best photos of Clemson’s thrilling overtime win at Pitt Panthers

Here are 16 of the best game photos from the Tigers’ 78-75 overtime win at Pittsburgh on Saturday.

The Clemson Tigers sank 14 three-pointers and had four of their five starters finish in double figures in a wild 78-75 overtime win over the Pitt Panthers in ACC play Saturday at Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh.

Clemson improved to 15-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play despite letting a 14-point second-half lead slip away. The Tigers got 20 points from senior Chase Hunter, whose three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining in overtime turned a one-possession game into a 78-73 lead.

The Tigers held on for their third straight win, getting 16 points from Jaeden Zackery coming off a season-high 21 at Georgia Tech four nights earlier, plus 15 from Ian Schieffelin and 11 from Chauncey Wiggins. Dillon Hunter also added 10 points off the bench.

The Tigers finished 14-of-27 from behind the arc to remain one game behind the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC standings. The third-ranked Blue Devils (16-2, 8-0) cruised to an 88-63 blowout win at Boston College on Saturday.

Clemson returns home to face Syracuse at 7 p.m. ET at Littlejohn Coliseum Wednesday. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Tigers’ thrilling overtime win over Pitt.

Clemson takes down Pitt in an overtime thriller

Clemson handles business against Pitt in overtime.

Clemson edged out a hard-fought 78-75 overtime victory against Pitt on Saturday at the Petersen Events Center, surviving a second-half surge by the Panthers. The win extended Clemson’s winning streak over Pitt to 13 games and marked their third consecutive victory this season.

Chase Hunter led the Tigers with 20 points, tying his career-high with five three-pointers while shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Ian Schieffelin contributed his eighth double-double of the season, recording 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Jaeden Zackery added 16 points. Dillon Hunter provided a boost off the bench with 10 points, giving Clemson four double-digit scorers.

The Tigers (15-4, 7-1 ACC) built a 14-point lead early in the second half, but Pitt (12-6, 3-4 ACC) stormed back with a 19-4 run to tie the game at 57-57. A late three-pointer by Ishmael Leggett gave the Panthers a brief lead, but Clemson held firm in overtime. Hunter’s clutch three-pointer with 14 seconds left in the extra period sealed the win for the Tigers.

Clemson shot a season-high 14-of-27 from beyond the arc, despite cooling off after halftime. The Tigers outrebounded Pitt 32-30, securing 12 of the final 15 boards, which proved pivotal. Schieffelin, who has battled back and calf injuries, delivered another strong road performance, with six of his eight double-doubles this season coming away from home.

Next, Clemson returns to Littlejohn Coliseum to host Syracuse on Wednesday at 7 p.m.