National analyst predictions for Clemson's NCAA Tournament run

Chase Hunter looks to put together another special March.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Tuesday, March 18 2025

How long will the Dance last for Clemson men's basketball?

The predictions run the gamut, with CBS Sports analyst Clark Kellogg getting the first big volley with a national championship game prediction for the Tigers Sunday.

Fifth-seeded Clemson (26-7) starts its NCAA Tournament path versus 12-seed McNeese State (26-7) as a 7.5-point favorite (3:15 p.m./TruTV).

Over at ESPN, Jeff Borzello takes Clemson to advance out of the Providence pod and then fall to Houston in the Sweet 16, 68-60.

"McNeese and High Point are going to be popular double-digit upset picks, but I'm not sure either has a great first-round matchup. Clemson made the Elite Eight last season, and has Chase Hunter on the perimeter and the size inside to beat McNeese, while Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn should be enough to beat High Point," Borzello said of the Purdue-High Point matchup also in the Providence pod.

Both ESPN TV personalities Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas take Clemson to win the opener but fall to 4-seed Purdue in the traditional second round.

"The Boilermakers control the tempo, rebound like monsters, and bury clutch free throws," Vitale said of the second-round matchup for Clemson.

Bilas says there's a high potential of an upset for the Clemson-Purdue bout: "I am going with Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn to advance, but it is more of a coin flip than anything."

Sporting News has a big split for panelists with Bill Bender taking the Tigers to the Elite Eight in Indianapolis and Mike DeCourcy picking a McNeese upset.

Bender sees the Tigers facing Gonzaga and not Houston in the Elite Eight.

"That sets up Sweet 16 matchups between Clemson and Gonzaga – and the Tigers have enough experience from last year’s Elite Eight run behind senior guard Chase Hunter. Back-to-back Elite Eight runs for Brad Brownell? Then, Tennessee beats Kentucky, which ends with the Vols winning before taking out the Tigers in the Elite Eight. Barnes finally breaks through with an emotional Final Four run," Bender said.

Over at the broadcast home of the tournament, CBS has a few first-round upsets and a couple medium runs.

Gary Parrish, Chip Patterson and David Cobb all predict a Sweet 16 appearance, while Jerry Palm and Dennis Dodd pick Will Wade and the Cowboys to start things out.

Over at USA TODAY, Dan Wolken, Eddie Timanus and Erick Smith all project Clemson to the Sweet 16 and falling to top-seed Houston, but Paul Myerberg picks a second-round exit.

On Sports Illustrated, the picks range from Sweet 16 for Pat Forde to a first-round upset for Bryan Fischer.

National analyst Clemson NCAA Tournament picks

ESPN: Borzello - Sweet 16; Vitale - Round of 32; Bilas - Round of 32
Sporting News: Bender - Elite 8; DeCourcy - Round of 64
CBS: Dodd - Round of 64; Cobb - Round of 64; Matt Norlander - Round of 32; Kyle Boone - Round of 32; Cameron Salerno - Round of 32; Patterson - Sweet 16; Cobb - Sweet 16; Gary Parrish - Sweet 16
USA TODAY: Wolken, Timanus and Smith - Sweet 16; Myerberg - Round of 32
Sports Illustrated: Forde - Sweet 16; Kevin Sweeney - Sweet 16; Fischer - Round of 64