National bracket predictions, rankings for Clemson in NCAA Tournament |
March Madness is here for Clemson men's basketball, and there's no shortage of takes on the 6th-seeded Tigers' chances to advance in the West Region.
Brad Brownell's bunch (21-11) start their Big Dance bid versus 11th-seeded New Mexico (26-9) on Friday at 3:10 p.m. EDT in Memphis, Tennessee (FedExForum; TruTV). The NCAA selection committee ranked Clemson No. 22 overall after playing a Top 25 schedule (24) and beating five NET Quadrant 1 teams. They went 10-10 overall versus Q1 and Q2 teams -- topping three in the Q1 upper tier with road wins at UNC (8), Alabama (9) and Pitt (40). They also tallied an 11-1 record versus Q3 and Q4 opponents. CBS Sports disagrees with the committee's assessment and re-ranked the Tigers ten spots lower (32). That is eighth-best in the region, with nine West Region teams in the Top 38 and ten in the Top 43. "With so many good teams in this tournament, it's easy to overlook the Tigers, but I would be wary about doing so. Brad Brownell's team has taken out Boise State, Alabama, TCU and North Carolina this season. PJ Hall, the man in the middle, averages 18.8 points and 6.7 rebounds and plays so well around Clemson's attack of Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin and Joseph Girard," said CBS Sports' Matt Norlander. The CBS ranking has New Mexico at No. 30. "Oh, these Lobos. How many teams are feeling as good about themselves going into this glorious tournament as Richard Pitino's group? Four wins in four days to take the Mountain West crown and eliminate all doubt about their case in the tournament. It starts with Jaelen House (16.1 ppg), the flame-throwing guard who's almost as good on the mic as he is on the court. At 26-9, UNM figures to be an entertaining watch no matter the opponent. Must-see TV," said Norlander. ESPN assesses Clemson's "tournament ceiling" as the Round of 32. "PJ Hall is arguably the best player in the country whom the country doesn't seem to know -- yet. He had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks in a win over South Carolina. He finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks in a win over Alabama. He had 25 points (4-for-10 from 3) in a win over North Carolina, too. At its best, Clemson has tussled with the top teams in America and won. But it also finished 11-9 in ACC play, stumbled out of the first round of the ACC tournament with a loss to Boston College and will enter Selection Sunday not looking nearly as imposing as expected," said ESPN's Myron Medcalf. Sporting News tabs Clemson-New Mexico as the best first-round game in the West. "The Lobos are as fun to watch as almost anyone in this tournament. They play faster than 98 percent of the teams in Division I, but even at that pace they manage to be effective defensively. Guards Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr., each the son of a former NBA star, average a combined 30 points," said SN's Mike DeCourcy, who has Hall as the top center in the region. "Clemson has a way of dropping the most consequential games, a habit that seemed to break with its monumental road win at North Carolina in February, but that was revisited in a shockingly one-sided ACC Tournament loss to middling Boston College." Elsewhere, Sports Illustrated says Clemson has the toughest draw in the West Region. USA TODAY's Sportsbook Wire has UNC and Clemson as the two contenders for the region. "Senior C PJ Hall leads the Tigers with 18.8 PPG and had 7 double-doubles this season. Clemson got a huge offensive boost from 5th-year senior Syracuse transfer G Joseph Girard III (15.7 PPG). This squad brings a lot to the court which could give other team fits," said the outlet. Bracket predictions ESPN's Jeff Borzello is taking the bracket upset (although the Lobos are favored slightly currently, -1.5), with New Mexico winning 79-75. CFN's Pete Fiutak also predicts a New Mexico win, 76-73. Fiutak: "The two opposites in terms of time off, Clemson got plenty of rest after getting whacked early in the ACC Tournament, and New Mexico had to play for four straight days to win the Mountain West title. The Lobos are far more active with the transition game being a problem for the Tigers." Per the metric below, Clemson has an 18.7% chance of getting out of the weekend and advancing to LA, with New Mexico favored in their matchup on Friday (56.6%). NCAA tournament probabilities for each region via @totally_t_bomb 👇 pic.twitter.com/2bVu0EmkTa The 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket with tip times, locations, and TV channels! 🔥🏀🔥 pic.twitter.com/LEN2DoXs8p
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