Seeding matters in ACC Tournament, but Brownell says the league is wide open

Clemson coach Brad Brownell sees a team ready to reset for tournament action.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Mar 12 12:24:04 GMT-04:00 2024

Seeding matters in the ACC Tournament, but Clemson head coach Brad Brownell feels like the league title is up for grabs, with several good teams primed to claim that spot.

The ACC Tournament begins this week in Washington, D.C., and the sixth-seeded Tigers will take the court on Wednesday (9:30 p.m., ESPNU). Clemson will face the winner of Tuesday's first-round game between No. 11 seed Boston College and No. 14 Miami.

Heading into the final three games of the regular season, the Tigers were in prime position to claim one of the top four spots and a double-bye in the tournament. But those hopes were dashed with two losses in those last three games – on the road at Notre Dame and on the road at Wake Forest last Saturday.

Pittsburgh – a team Clemson has beaten twice this season – defeated NC State to ensure the Tigers didn’t claim one of the four spots. Wake is the fifth seed after its win over the Tigers, with Pitt the fourth seed.

If NC State had beaten Pitt, a top-four spot would have still been in play for the Tigers, but Brownell said the Tigers didn’t pay attention to the score.

“I don't think we really worried as much about the Pitt-N.C. State game. It's more just our disappointment that we didn't win the Wake game,” Brownell said on Monday. “Whenever you have a chance to handle the situation yourself, you want to handle it. Guys were a little down, but at the end of the day, you're playing in the tournament. Young people get past those kinds of things quickly and are ready to get on to the next challenge.”

Brownell noted that while seeding matters – and a double-bye would have been nice – there isn’t a dominant team in the league.

“I'm sure if you look at the past champions, (seeding) matters, because the ones, twos, threes win a lot, and there's usually a reason — they're usually the best teams. That's why they finished where they did over a 20-game, challenging league schedule,” he said. “Having said that, I think the league is maybe as wide open as it's ever been.

“I do think that this could be a year where somebody who's a lower seed could certainly advance, get deep into the tournament, and make something happen.”

A sixth seed hasn’t won the ACC Tournament since Gary Williams’ squad Maryland in 2004, but beyond this week, the Tigers are regarded as a lock to make the NCAA Tournament.

“I do feel like our guys battled all year to get us to the position where we are now,” he said. “I think we all wish we would have won a couple more — had chances and let a couple get away from us — but that's part of league play.

“I think we've had a good year to date. Twenty-one wins and, maybe as much as anything, just the fact that we're one of three ACC teams in the league right now that are kind of a lock for the NCAA Tournament. I think that's a terrific accomplishment to be in that position right now.”

What must the Tigers do to make a run in both tournaments?

“Our consistency — that's everybody on every end,” Brownell said. “We've got to keep limiting our defensive errors. Offensively, it does sometimes come down to shot making. We're not quite as dynamic when breaking people down and getting easy baskets on our own. I think that if we're creating good shots for our guys, then we'll probably be fine.”

The Hurricanes and Tigers split the season series, with Miami putting on a shooting clinic in a 95-82 home win in early January. Meanwhile, Clemson beat Boston College in their lone matchup this season on Jan. 13 at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, 89-78.