February is here, and that means March Madness is beginning to take shape. The Clemson basketball team finds itself right in the thick of the NCAA Tournament picture. Through the end of the season, TCI will have a regular update of the Tigers’ body of work complete with RPI ranking, KenPom.com ranking, and a percentage chance the Tigers are included in the field courtesy of TeamRankings.com, along with the differentials since the last update.

Record: 14-10 (7-5 ACC)

RPI: 87th (-4, 6-5 Top 50, 7-7 Top 100)

KenPom.com: 57th (-5)

Chances: 9.6% (-11.8%)

Qualk’s Take: From an NCAA Tournament standpoint, the Tigers took a haymaker on Monday night. Falling at home to a white-hot Notre Dame team makes the climb enormously more difficult for a Clemson squad still smarting from its pre-conference difficulties and burdened with a poor RPI ranking. Monday’s defeat wasn’t a crushing blow in terms of the analytics or the computers, but the Tigers needed the win-loss record to outweigh some of those less-than-flattering factors. It will likely take a flurry of wins down the stretch (and maybe a good bit of outside help) for Clemson to taste the postseason.

Here are some games to watch tonight that could impact Clemson’s NCAA Tournament chances…

Pittsburgh at Miami (FL) (-7.5), 7:00, ESPNU: Miami is a solid NCAA Tourney team, and Pittsburgh probably should be. The RPI is kinder to the Panthers than the analytics, but in either case, Jamie Dixon looks like he has another squad ready to dance. A win over the Hurricanes would all but cement the Panthers into the field, coupled with previous road wins against Notre Dame and Florida State. That’s a good thing for Clemson because it establishes conference strength and allows the Tigers to tout the tiebreaker it holds over three solid tournament squads.

Northwestern at Ohio State (-5), 8:00, BTN: Ohio State has the name recognition to get a partial pass from the powers that be, so it would be nice for Clemson fans if the Buckeyes faded farther away from the bubble than they already are. Losing a home tilt with a Northwestern team that has been bludgeoned on the road against quality foes seems unlikely, but Vegas thinks this will be a two-possession game. I’ve got my eye on this one, just in case.

If you haven’t already order your copy today of Guts & Glory – Tales of Clemson’s Historic 2015 Football Season to help you celebrate and remember this special season.