Tag: top 25

Where Clemson softball ranks in D1Softball, coaches polls

Clemson Softball: Here’s where the Tigers rank in the new coaches poll and D1Softball poll, released Tuesday, April 23.

There’s good news and bad news for Clemson softball in terms of Top 25 rankings for Week 12.

The Tigers went 3-1 last week with wins over Winthrop and winning two of three from Notre Dame in ACC play. That was enough to keep coach John Rittman’s team at No. 22 in the USA TODAY Sports/NCFA Division I Top 25 coaches poll, compiled by the 32 head coaches who make up the rankings.

Clemson fell one spot in the coaches poll from last week.

The Tigers fell out of D1Softball’s Top 25 poll, also released Tuesday. It’s the second major poll that Clemson was shut out of this week; the team was also unranked in Monday’s new Softball America Top 25 rankings.

Just as importantly, Clemson is ranked No. 23 in the RPI rankings. Those rankings hold more weight when the selection committee decides its seedings for the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.

The top four teams were the same in both the coaches poll and D1Softball’s poll with Texas (38-6 overall) remaining No. 1 for the third consecutive week. Oklahoma (42-4) stayed at No. 2 while Tennessee (34-8) moved up to No. 3 in both polls.

Oklahoma State (39-8) shot up to No. 4 in both polls.

In D1Softball’s poll, UCLA jumped all the way to No. 5 after a series sweep of previously fifth-ranked Stanford. The Bruins (27-9) climbed 12 spots in D1Softball’s poll.

Duke (39-6) checked in at No. 5 in the coaches poll.

The Blue Devils were the highest ranked ACC team in either poll and one of four league members in this week’s rankings. Aside from Clemson at No. 22, the ACC also featured Virginia Tech (No. 13) and Florida State (No. 16) in this week’s Top 25.

The SEC led the way with 10 teams ranked in both polls.

Clemson is scheduled to close out the regular season portion of their schedule this weekend when they travel to Louisville for a three-game series beginning Friday. The Tigers are tied for fourth place in ACC standings with Virginia. They trail conference leader Florida State (15-3), Duke (17-4), and Virginia Tech (17-4).

Clemson remains shut out of Top 25 softball poll

NCAA Softball Top 25: the Clemson Tigers remained shut out of the Top 25 in Softball America’s latest rankings for Week 12, released on Monday, April 22.

The Clemson softball team remained shut out of the new Softball America Top 25 poll, released Monday, April 22.

It’s the second straight week that coach John Rittman’s team was unranked in the poll — although it certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort.

Clemson (31-15 overall, 13-8 conference) blanked Winthrop, 4-0, in its midweek game last week at McWhorter Stadium and won two of three games at Notre Dame.

Texas (38-6) stayed at No. 1 in Softball America’s poll for the second straight week while Oklahoma (42-4) held at No. 2. Tennessee (34-8) moved up one spot to No. 3 while Texas A&M (37-9) climbed three spots to No. 4. Oklahoma State (39-8) rounded out the top five.

The ACC had four teams ranked in the new poll. Duke (39-6) was the highest-ranked conference school at No. 6. Virginia Tech (No. 15), Florida State (No. 16), and Miami (No. 25) were also ranked.

Clemson will travel to Louisville to conclude its regular season schedule beginning Friday. After that, the Tigers will prepare for the 2024 ACC Softball Tournament, which begins Wednesday, May 8 in Durham.

Clemson is currently tied for fourth in ACC standings with Virginia. The Tigers trail conference leader Florida State (15-3 conference), Duke (17-4), and Virginia Tech (17-4).

Where Clemson Tigers rank in new D1Baseball, Baseball America Top 25 rankings

Clemson Baseball: Here’s a look at where the Clemson Tigers fans are ranked in this week’s D1Baseball and Baseball America Top 25 rankings for the week of April 22.

A 3-1 week by coach Erik Bakich’s Clemson Tigers saw the team move up one spot in the new D1Baseball Top 25 poll, released Monday, April 22.

Clemson moved up to No. 5 in D1Baseball’s poll after defeating Charlotte in non-conference play and winning two of three from Pitt in its ACC weekend series.

The Tigers (32-7 overall, 13-5 ACC) stayed at No. 4 in Baseball America’s weekly Top 25 rankings. They also moved up two spots to No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll.

Texas A&M remained No. 1 in both rankings after its 3-1 week. The Aggies (35-5 overall) won two of three at Alabama, which ranked 20th in Baseball America’s Top 25 and No. 23 in D1Baseball’s poll.

It’s the second straight week that Texas A&M has been ranked No. 1.

Arkansas (34-6) stayed at No. 2 in both polls after sweeping a midweek series with Texas Tech and winning two of three at South Carolina (27-13). The Gamecocks placed 22nd in Baseball America’s new rankings and are No. 24 in D1Baseball’s new poll.

Tennessee (33-7) moved up to No. 3 in both rankings after a clutch series win in the Bluegrass State against Kentucky (32-7), which fell to No. 4 in D1Baseball’s poll and stayed at No. 7 in Baseball America’s rankings. The Volunteers scored 22 runs over the last two games of the top 5 matchup, beating the Wildcats 9-4 and 13-11 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Duke (29-11) moved up one spot to No. 5 in Baseball America’s rankings.

Clemson travels to Athens for a Top 25 matchup against Georgia in non-conference play Tuesday. The Bulldogs (29-10) are ranked 20th in D1Baseball’s new poll. They moved up four spots this week after winning two of three against Ole Miss. First pitch from Foley Field is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday. The game will be televised by ESPNU.

How far Clemson fell in new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll

NCAA Baseball: The Clemson Tigers fell to No. 6 in the new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released Monday, April 15.

A rough week by Clemson that featured the team’s first back-to-back losses of the season — and its first losing streak — dropped the Tigers several spots in the new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released Monday, April 15.

Clemson (29-6 overall) tumbled four spots to No. 6 in the coaches poll, compiled by 31 head coaches at Division I schools. The Tigers went just 1-3 last week after a midweek loss to USC Upstate and dropping two of three in a series against NC State at home.

Coach Erik Bakich’s club also fell to No. 6 in D1Baseball’s new Top 25 rankings and to No. 4 in the new Baseball America Top 25.

Texas A&M (32-4) climbed two spots to No. 1 after a 4-0 week that included a series sweep of No. 12 Vanderbilt. The Commodores had been ranked No. 6 in last week’s coaches poll.

Arkansas (30-5) fell to No. 2 after suffering its first series loss of the season. The Razorbacks, who had been No. 1 for five straight weeks, fell Saturday and Sunday to No. 14 Alabama, which rose three spots in Monday’s poll.

Oregon State (29-5) moved up one spot in to No. 4. Kentucky (30-5) rounded out the top five after its three-game sweep of Auburn over the weekend.

Right behind Clemson in the new poll are four ACC schools. Florida State (30-5) rose to No. 7, with Virginia (28-8) checking in at No. 8 and Duke (26-10) at No. 9. North Carolina (29-7) moved up one spot to No. 11. East Carolina (27-8) rounded out the Top 10.

Two other ACC schools — No. 13 Wake Forest and No. 22 Virginia Tech — placed in Monday’s Top 25 to give the conference seven teams ranked in the new poll.

The SEC had the most schools ranked per conference with eight.

Clemson returns to the diamond Tuesday when the Tigers host Charlotte in non-conference play. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).

New No. 1 in D1Baseball, Baseball America Top 25 rankings

Clemson Baseball: Here’s a look at where the Tigers fans are ranked in this week’s D1Baseball and Baseball America Top 25 rankings.

There’s a new No. 1 atop the rankings for both Baseball America and D1Baseball — and a new No. 2, as well.

Texas A&M (32-4 overall) climbed to the top spot in both rankings after a 4-0 week that included a three-game sweep of Vanderbilt over the weekend. The Aggies had been ranked No. 3 the past two weeks but took advantage of series losses by both Arkansas and Clemson to move up two spots.

Arkansas (30-5) fell to No. 2 after a five-week run at No. 1 in every major ranking. The Razorbacks lost two of three to Alabama in Tuscaloosa over the weekend, the first series loss of the season for coach Dave Van Horn’s team.

Clemson (29-6) fell in both polls after previously being ranked No. 2. The Tigers suffered a rare midweek loss to USC Update on Tuesday before dropping the first two games of their weekend series against NC State on Friday and Saturday.

Coach Erik Bakich’s team responded with a 7-0 shutout victory on Sunday behind eight scoreless innings of two-hit ball from freshman right-hander Aidan Knaak to salvage the series finale and snap a three-game losing streak that saw Clemson drop to No. 4 in Baseball America’s new Top 25 rankings. The Tigers fell four spots to No. 6 in D1Baseball’s rankings.

The Tigers also four fell spots to No. 6 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll.

As a reward for its series victory over Clemson, NC State (20-13) moved into the Top 25 at No. 22 in Baseball America’s rankings.

Kentucky (30-5) rose to No. 3 in D1Baseball’s rankings after sweeping Auburn. The Wildcats placed seventh in Baseball America’s rankings. Tennessee (30-6) stayed at No. 4 in D1Baseball’s rankings while moving up one spot to No. 3 in Baseball America’s rankings. The Volunteers swept reigning national champion LSU over the weekend.

Clemson returns to Doug Kingsmore Stadium Tuesday to face Charlotte in non-conference play. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT. The game will be streamed by ACC Network Extra. The 49ers ended the Tigers’ season a year ago in the Clemson Regional of the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament with a 3-2 upset victory.

Kentucky jumps up into eighth in USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll

Kentucky baseball jumps all the way into the top ten in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll.

The Kentucky Wildcats baseball team was on a roll last week, and continued an already great season thus far. On Monday, it was reflected in the Top 25 as the Cats climbed all the way into the top 10 in the USA Today Sports baseball coaches poll, landing at number eight.

Their game with in-state rival Louisville got rained out. However, the Wildcats were ready for a three-game series with a ranked Alabama Crimson Tide team over the weekend.

Kentucky swept the Tide in the series, and out-scored them by a combined score of 23 – 3. The Wildcats dominated the series in every way, out-hitting them 27 – 15 and out-pitching them in every game.

The Cats are now 27 – 4 on the year, and 11 – 1 in SEC play. They are one of five SEC teams ranked inside the top ten currently. There are three more in the Top 25 for a total of eight ranked SEC teams.

Up next for Kentucky is Samford, then a three-game series against Auburn. If they take care of business again, the Wildcats might find themselves in the top five next week.

Wisconsin basketball drops out of final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Was Wisconsin’s 2023-24 season a success?

Wisconsin basketball found itself on the outside of the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll of the 2023-24 season.

The Badgers entered March Madness ranked No. 24 and with a ton of momentum after a run to the finals of the Big Ten Tournament. What followed was an unfortunate first-round NCAA Tournament loss to No. 12-seed James Madison and a subsequent drop from the top 25.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

The loss draped a dark cloud over what looked to be a promising season. On one hand, the Badgers clearly improved after 2022-23 and had once of the best offenses in program history. On the other hand, the team lost early in the tournament — and that’s most of what matters to many.

The Badgers finish 2023-24 in the ‘receiving votes’ category of the poll — tied with James Madison at 30 points.

Only two Big Ten teams finished the season in this top 25: Purdue at No. 2 and Illinois at No. 7. It was another promising regular season of Big Ten basketball, but yet another campaign with little postseason success.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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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.

Clemson falls four spots in weekly softball poll

NCAA Softball: The Clemson Tigers fell four spots to No. 19 in the new D1Softball poll, released Tuesday, April 9.

Clemson fell four spots in the new D1Softball Top 25 poll, released Tuesday, April 9.

The Tigers (27-11 overall) swept Syracuse over the weekend after falling to Furman in non-conference play last week. John Rittman’s team is scheduled to face South Carolina in Columbia at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday. The Tigers will then welcome Duke to town beginning Friday for a three-game series in ACC play. Friday’s series opener will be nationally televised by ESPN2.

With Oklahoma (35-3) losing its first Big 12 conference series since 2011, there’s a new No. 1 atop D1Softball’s poll. Texas (31-6) moved into the top spot after taking two of three games from the Sooners over the weekend in Austin. OU slipped to No. 2 in the new D1Softball poll.

Stanford (No. 3, 31-6), Oklahoma State (No. 4, 33-6), and Duke (No. 5, 33-3) rounded out the top five. The Blue Devils jumped to No. 1 in this week’s Softball America rankings. Duke went 4-0 last week after sweeping North Carolina in Durham. Clemson fell to No. 25 in Softball America’s rankings.

Aside from Duke and Clemson, only two other ACC programs placed in D1Softball’s top 25: No. 14 Virginia Tech and No. 18 Florida State.

The SEC had the most ranked teams by conference with nine, including No. 6 Tennessee

Here’s where Clemson ranks in new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll

NCAA Baseball: The Clemson Tigers stayed at No. 2 in the new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released Monday, April 8.

Clemson remained at No. 2 in the new USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released Monday, April 8.

The Tigers improved to 28-3 overall and went 4-0 last week after a three-game series sweep of Notre Dame in conference play on Sunday.

Coach Erik Bakich’s team also stayed at No. 2 in the new Top 25 rankings for both D1Baseball and Baseball America.

Arkansas (27-3) remained at No. 1 after sweeping Ole Miss in a three-game series over the weekend. It’s the fifth consecutive week that the Razorbacks have been No. 1 in the coaches poll.

The top five remained the same as last week. Texas A&M (28-4) stayed at No. 3, with Tennessee (26-6) at No. 4 and Oregon State (26-4) at No. 5.

Other highly-ranked ACC schools in this week’s coaches poll are No. 7 Duke, No. 9 Florida State, and No. 10 Virginia.

North Carolina fell five spots to No. 12. Wake Forest (No. 15) and Virginia Tech (No. 16) also placed in the Top 25.

Clemson is scheduled to face SC Upstate in midweek action Tuesday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium before hosting NC State over the weekend.