Tag: ncaa basketball

Where Clemson ranks in way-too-early men’s college basketball Top 25 for 2024-25

NCAA Basketball: The Clemson Tigers placed in the top 15 of USA TODAY Sports’ way-too-early rankings for the 2024-25 men’s basketball season.

It’s been less than 24 hours since UConn was crowned as national champions for the second straight year after a resounding 75-60 win over Purdue at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Who knows what the college basketball landscape will look like in a few weeks, let alone in a few months? The transfer portal changes by the day, if not by the hour. See: Arizona’s Oumar Ballo, Wisconsin’s AJ Storr and Florida Atlantic’s Johnell Davis, just to name a few.

The coaching carousel has also yet to stop after former Kentucky coach John Calipari took the college sports world by storm when he bolted the Bluegrass State for SEC rival Arkansas.

There’s also players that could turn pro, as well as those that could opt in for a fifth college season by using their COVID-19 waiver. That includes Clemson’s PJ Hall and Chase Hunter.

Lots of (basket)balls are still up in the air, but that never stops sports minds from thinking far in advance. To that end, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, and Eddie Timanus have put together their way-too-early Top 25 rankings for the 2024-25 college basketball season.

In those rankings, Clemson checks in at No. 13 following the team’s run to the Elite Eight. The Tigers had their best season to date under coach Brad Brownell, beating New Mexico, Baylor and Arizona to reach the West Regional final of the NCAA Tournament against Alabama.

Per Myerberg, Smith and Timanus:

“A repeat of the Tigers’ journey to the Elite Eight will be a challenge, but a number of the key players could be back if they choose to use their extra year. That group includes standout postman P.J. Hall, as well as guard Chase Hunter and reserve forward Jack Clark. Joseph Girard III is gone, but Ian Schieffelin, voted the ACC’s most improved player in 2023-24, is also slated to return.”

Clark recently entered the transfer portal but could opt to return to Clemson if he doesn’t find a better fit to his liking.

The Tigers’ non-conference schedule is a long way from being set, but their ACC schedule was announced in late February. Clemson will host Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and conference newcomers Cal and Stanford at Littlejohn Coliseum in 2024-25.

The Tigers will travel to NC State, Virginia, Miami, Louisville, Pitt, Boston College, and SMU for road games. They’ll also face three schools at both home and away: Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

Did you know Caitlin Clark is a big Tar Heels fan?

Did you know Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark grew up a huge UNC basketball fan?

All the attention in the college basketball world is on Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark, who’s amongst the best to ever don a college uniform.

Clark has been balling out since her elementary school days in Des Moines, Iowa, but this season has undoubtedly been her best. Not only did she break Kelsey Plum’s NCAA Division-I women’s scoring record, but she now holds the NCAA Division-I all-time scoring record after later passing Pistol Pete Maravich,

As a result of her All-Star level play this year, which includes a college-leading 31.7 points per game, Clark’s Hawkeyes are in the Final Four for the second-straight season. Iowa will be playing for its first national title on Sunday, April 7, holding off a late charge from UConn Friday to advance.

Though Clark is an  Iowa basketball legend, did you know she actually grew up a UNC fan?

We can credit this to two Tar Heel legends: Mia Hamm, arguably the greatest women’s soccer player our National Team has ever seen and Harrison Barnes, who grew up approximately 40 minutes north of Clark in Ames.

“I was a big Harrison Barnes fan growing up, but I was also big Mia Hamm fan, too,” Clark said in a Tar Heel Tribune article. “Harrison Barnes was like ‘it’ in the state of Iowa.”

This sentence for the Tar Heel tribune article shows you how much Clark truly loved North Carolina: She had her mom repaint her entire room Carolina blue and navy blue. She had Carolina stuff all over her room.

As much as she loves UNC, was there ever a shot she’d don the Tar Heel Blue herself?

“I didn’t really want to go there and play women’s basketball, but I loved their men’s basketball and their soccer because I grew up playing soccer,” Clark said. “So, yeah, I was a big North Carolina basketball fan growing up.”

Just imagine if Clark chose UNC. Can you imagine how much more of a basketball school it’d be?

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Joe Girard’s heartfelt message to Clemson fans

Clemson Basketball: Few players in the history of Clemson basketball left more of an impact in just one season than senior guard Joe Girard did.

Few players in the history of Clemson basketball left more of an impact in just one season than Joe Girard did.

The Glens Falls, N.Y. native, who transferred to Clemson from Syracuse after legendary coach Jim Boeheim announced his retirement last year, helped lead the Tigers to only their second all-time Elite Eight appearance — and first since 1980.

With his decision to transfer to Clemson, Girard gave the Tigers not only an instant scoring threat; he lended a certain layer of credibility to the program.

Girard averaged 15 points per game for Clemson and played in all 36 contests this season. He had a 25-point night in the Tigers’ ACC opener at Pitt and had nine games with 20 or more points, including a season-high 26 against Boston College on January 13.

Girard scored 19 points in the Tigers’ 89-82 loss to Alabama on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Girard took to social media to issue a special heartfelt message to Clemson fans.

“Clemson family,

“I just wanted to give you all a big thank you! Although I was only here for a year, you guys gave me a home away from home.

“To Coach Brownell & staff, the managers, and my incredible teammates, thank you for giving me another historic run in March Madness capped off with an Elite 8!

“The decision to transfer here was everything I wanted and more.

“I’m proud to be able to call myself a Clemson Tiger for life. Tiger Pride! -JG3 Out”

NC State’s Final Four run continues recent stretch of ACC dominance in NCAA Tournament

The Atlantic Coast Conference has found success in the Final Four with the latest run from NC State.

It’s going to be weird watching the Final Four with no UNC in it, but we’ll be fine.

Thursday’s loss to Alabama was certainly heartbreaking, but there’s no denying that what North Carolina did was special. The Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament entirely last year, came back with a majority of the same players and won their first, outright ACC Regular Season Title since 2016.

Right now, college basketball’s attention (UNC fans, too) has turned to rival NC State.

The Wolfpack wouldn’t be playing in the Final Four if it weren’t for Michael O’Connell’s game-tying, buzzer-beating shot in the ACC Tournament Semifinal against UVA. Cavaliers guard Isaac McKneely bricked the front end of a one-and-one, NC State pushed it up court, then O’Connell drained an insane attempt.

The Wolfpack later won that game in overtime, downed North Carolina in the ACC Championship and now sport a 9-game winning streak. They’ll be playing the Zach Edey-led Purdue Boilermakers in the Final Four on Saturday, April 6 at 6:09 p.m. ET

With NC State’s win over Duke, it became the fifth different ACC program to reach a Final Four in the past five NCAA Men’s Tournaments.

Please excuse sports blogger Danny Neckel’s typo in the post. He even has some fun with it in the comment thread.

Miami represented the ACC last year, making its first Final Four appearance in school history. UNC and Duke, two of the conference’s premier programs, did the same in 2022. No ACC program made the Final Four in 2021, COVID cancelled the 2020 Big Dance, while UVA won it all in 2019.

I rarely root for NC State, but how can you not fall in love with them when they’re led by DJ Burns, who has unofficially become America’s Sweetheart?

The Wolfpack’s bruising, Shaq-esque center already has two 20-point games in the NCAA Tournament, including a 29-point explosion on Easter against Duke. When Burns isn’t terrorizing opponents on the court, he’s smiling and acting as NC State’s fun-loving, big-hearted hero.

Will the Wolfpack be able to continue their Cinderella run against Purdue?

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Now that UNC’s out, who do you cheer for in the Big Dance?

With UNC recently gone from the NCAA Tournament, who should you be rooting for in the Elite 8?

With no more UNC in the NCAA Tournament, I don’t blame you if you don’t want to watch any more games.

It’s weird watching arguably the most-followed postseason tournament across all sports, only to not see your favorite team in it.

North Carolina faltered down the stretch on Thursday, March 28, allowing Grant Nelson to take over and lead Alabama to an 89-87 upset win. RJ Davis shot 4-of-20 from the field, the Tar Heels’ defense played horribly and Jae’Lyn Withers took a questionable shot late – with UNC having a 1-point lead and plenty of time on the shot clock.

The Elite 8 is all set now: UConn-Illinois, Purdue-Tennessee, Alabama-Clemson and Duke-NC State.

You read that right – THREE ACC teams.

If you’re still interested in watching the Big Dance (I know I will be), but are wondering who to cheer for, we have a couple recommendations for you. Our top one – ANYONE BUT DUKE.

UConn, which is looking to be the first repeat champion since Florida in 2006-2007, has a super-deep, talented roster led by Tristen Newton, Donovan Clingen and Cam Spencer. I like the Huskies a lot, who’ve blown out their first three opponents by an average of 29 points.

Illinois has made fairly easy work of its opponents, but barely squeaked by 2-seed Iowa State (72-69) in the Sweet 16.

If you don’t know about Purdue, they have Zach Edey clogging the paint. Unlike last year, when the Boilermakers suffered complete embarrassment by becoming the second 1-seed to lose to a 16-seed, they have more pieces around Edey.

Tennessee is one of the most exciting offenses to watch, led by SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht. The Vols can beat you with their deep guard rotation, then kick it down low to Jonas Aidoo (who can also make threes).

I will not be cheering for Alabama, but the Crimson Tide advancing further would mean beating UNC is no joke. Alabama also has Mark Sears, Aaron Estrada and Rylan Griffen scoring in double-digits.

This Clemson team reminds me a LOT of last year’s UConn squad – started out the year hot, hit a rough patch, then playing its best basketball in the NCAA Tournament. If the Tigers don’t beat you down low with PJ Hall or Ian Schieffelin, they’ll make you pay from outside with Joe Girard or Chase Hunter.

I know I’m not supposed to cheer for NC State, but how can you not love DJ Burns? The big man is leading the Wolfpack’s torrid stretch of eight consecutive victories – which started in the ACC Tournament and included the championship over North Carolina,

Burns has reached double-digits in seven of NC State’s last eight games, plus he’s near-impossible to stop down low. He reminds me a lot of a shorter, lighter Shaq.

Duke is led by Kyle Filipowski, public enemy number one in Chapel Hill, The Blue Devils have the talent to win it all, with all five starters averaging at least 10 points, but they’re young and not very deep.

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Poor shooting prevents an RJ Davis-Caleb Love rematch in the Elite 8

Star UNC guard RJ Davis and Arizona guard Caleb Love, a former Tar Heel, both shot horrendously from the field last night in Sweet 16 losses.

Coming into the NCAA Tournament, one of the greatest storylines to watch for was a potential battle between UNC and Arizona.

Why? It would’ve pit reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis against his former backcourt mate, Caleb Love, who is the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year. The two remain friendly with each other, despite the rumored drama that much of Tar Heel Nation speculated to Love transferring.

It appeared the Tar Heels and Wildcats were on track to play each other – until upsets in Thursday night’s Sweet 16.

North Carolina was outplayed by an ever faster Alabama squad, while Clemson looked like the early-season version of itself, against one of the NCAA Tournament’s biggest chokers.

Two major reasons behind UNC and Arizona’s poor play were horrid shooting nights from Davis and Love, who shot a combined 0-of-18 from deep.

Davis was overall 4-of-20 from the field, but made 8-of-9 free throw attempts. Love was a bit better at 5-of-18, but still not impressive.

It’s difficult to imagine these two never helped North Carolina win a National Championship, but poor shooting nights like these certainly don’t help their cases. Every good player is bound to have a bad shooting night, but it stings extra when those nights come on the biggest stage of college basketball.

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Hubert Davis makes questionable roster decisions in second half of Sweet 16 loss

Seth Trimble is UNC’s best defender by a mile. He only played 11 minutes in last night’s, to no fault of his own, in last night’s Sweet 16 loss to Alabama.

I know I’ve been a huge proponent of UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis playing his bench in games, which has certainly paid off.

A team’s biggest moments – say, the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round – are when you want to play starters.

North Carolina experienced a disappointing end to yet another season on Thursday, March 28, as the West Region’s top seed lost 89-87 to Alabama. Yes, Jae’Lyn Withers made a questionable decision to take a 3-pointer late, but he was not why the Tar Heels lost.

UNC (29-8, 17-3 ACC) fell prone to several Crimson Tide runs, including one that saw UNC’s 8-point halftime lead dissipate quickly. North Carolina endured a second-half stretch in which it only scored three points in just under seven minutes, which allowed Alabama to come back.

It makes you wonder if the Tar Heels played Seth Trimble more – would the Tide have won? Trimble, UNC’s best defender by a mile, only played 11 minutes the whole game. That was Trimble’s lowest minutes total since Feb. 13, when North Carolina lost to Syracuse in the midst of another rough stretch.

It’s tough for Hubert to keep track of every single minutes log, but how did he not realize – in the biggest moment on the biggest state of college basketball – the impact that Trimble could’ve had on the outcome?

Paxson Wojcik played solid in 15 minutes off the bench, but he’s the same guy who gave up a couple easy layups last night. Wojcik hadn’t played 10 minutes in a game since Feb. 10 against Miami – why the sudden switch?

I really do think Hubert is the guy to lead UNC, but he’s proven time and time again to make questionable decisions in big moments.

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Jae’Lyn Withers’ shot was the coup de grâce in UNC’s Big Dance exit

Jae’Lyn Withers owned up to the shot that, essentially, cost UNC a win against Alabama in the Sweet 16.

There were too many things to count that went wrong for UNC in Thursday’s Sweet 16 loss to Alabama.

Hardly anyone shot well, highlighted by RJ Davis‘ 4-for-20 night and Armando Bacot’s missed, wide-open dunk. Hubert Davis made a questionable decision to sit Seth Trimble most of the second half, when North Carolina really needed its best defender against the nation’s top-scoring team.

The most head-scratching decision, however, came when the Tar Heels had a 1-point lead with one minute to go in the game. RJ kicked the ball out to a wide-open Jae’Lyn Withers beyond the 3-point line. Withers isn’t necessarily the guy UNC wants shooting this big shot, but he was so wide open.

A make would’ve sent the North Carolina bench into jubilation, but the latter happened.

Moments later, hearts were broken across the Tar Heel State when Grant Nelson scored Alabama’s final five points.

“I work on that shot every day so I don’t think it’s a bad shot,” Withers told Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg after the game. “But with time and score, I could have tried to get to the free throw line or get to the basket and get an easier look for me.”

I agree with Withers – it was a great shot. If I were that wide open, I would’ve taken the same shot. Even if there were three minutes left in the game, I would’ve given Withers the green light.

Withers, however, is not the guy you want shooting 3-pointers. As Eisenberg pointed out earlier in his article, Withers had only taken 19 perimeter shots all year – and made just four of them.

He owned up to his decision, though, which is exactly what you want to see from a veteran presence.

“That was probably one of the most crucial plays of the game,” Withers said.

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Bacot’s record-tying double-double overshadowed by UNC loss

Tim Duncan is a Wake Forest and NBA legend. Former UNC big man Armando Bacot just tied Duncan’s double-double record atop the ACC.

It wouldn’t be an end to another UNC basketball season without a disappointing loss.

At least, that’s what has been the theme in recent years.

On Thursday, March 28, North Carolina’s once-promising year ended in the Sweet 16 with an 89-87 loss against Alabama. This was a game the Tar Heels should’ve won – 8-point halftime lead, late second-half advantage even with RJ Davis’ cold night, a chance to go up by three with under a minute.

Despite missing a couple of costly shots that could’ve put the game away, including two wide-open dunks, Armando Bacot registered yet another double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

It was Bacot’s 87th career double-double, tying him with fellow ACC great and NBA Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan.

For reference on how special this mark was, Duncan was a 5-time NBA Champion with the San Antonio Spurs. He made the NBA All-Star Team 15 times, was named All-NBA First Team 10 times and an 8-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

It’s going to be weird not seeing Bacot in a UNC uniform next season, but I have no doubt he’ll be playing elsewhere.

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Playing Jae’Lyn Withers more in Sweet 16 is the right call

Could a big game from Jae’Lyn Withers be the X-factor UNC needs to win Thursday’s Sweet 16 rematch with Alabama?

There are few starting fives that produce more offensively than that of the North Carolina Tar Heels’ men’s basketball team.

UNC carries a veteran-heavy roster, led by the likes of all-time program greats in Armando Bacot and RJ Davis. While Elliot Cadeau is more known for his driving and passing ability, the Tar Heels also sport experienced transfers Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan in the starting lineup.

North Carolina is 20th in the country at 81.8 points per game, which also leads the ACC.

UNC head coach Hubert Davis has played his bench a lot more this year, much to the delight of Tar Heel Nation. He saw that decision pay off big-time against Wagner in the Round of 61, as key reserve Jae’Lyn Withers recorded his second double-double of the year (16 points, 10 rebounds) in the Tar Heels’ win.

I’m not saying that Hubert should mess around with his starting lineup, but he might want to play Withers more.

Withers produces when he plays at least 10 minutes, with each of his four, double-digit point outings coming while doing so. Withers is primarily a post player, but can occasionally stretch the floor with perimeter shot attempts.

The best NCAA Tournament teams tend to have deeper benches. Withers has proven, time and time again, that he’s North Carolina’s best bench scorer.

Oh – did we mention that the more Withers plays, the more Hubert can rest up Bacot and Ingram for the big, late-game moments?

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