The college basketball season is often defined by where a team peaks, and there was a time when it appeared Clemson peaked early. That narrative has flipped as the Tigers secured a signature win over No. 3 North Carolina before a strong victory on the road against Syracuse.

“Bubble watch” is officially over for Clemson, and it’s just a matter of how high Brad Brownell can push this team in seedings. While 16-7 isn’t that impressive of a record, it contains just two losses outside of Quad 1 and four wins in that quadrant. For Brownell who is an avid critic of the system, he’s done a strong job manipulating it to avoid massive mishaps in the 2023-24 season.

Coming off the two-game streak, Clemson has moved up in two key bracket projections. Both also have the Tigers in the West Region. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projected a No. 6 seed in the West, taking on the winner of Nevada and Utah in the First Four. That’s a high mark from Lunardi, who hasn’t valued the ACC highly.

On the other hand, NCAA’s Andy Katz put Clemson in the No. 5 slot, taking on South Florida. Both are favorable matchups for Brownell’s squad, and the rest of the season lines up for an even stronger finish.

If the Tigers can run the regular season table or drop just a single game, the door opens for an even higher seeding. The ACC Tournament looms as well, but Clemson’s finish to conference play, sitting at 6-6, will determine the outlook in Washington, D.C.. For now, the respect is growing for the Tigers and rightfully so.