CLEMSON — The Clemson Tigers have caught another win and continue to rise.
Clemson defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Tuesday night, and sit No. 13 in the Associated Press top 25 with three games left in the regular season.
With Clemson’s latest victory and other games being played around the ACC, there comes changes in rankings, projections and brackets.
The Clemson Insider breaks it all down with its latest bracketology report.
What’s Left, ACC Standings
There are three games to go, all consisting of ACC conference matchups. The Tigers will head to Charlottesville, Va., to take on the Cavaliers (14-14, 7-10 ACC) on Saturday.
With a win at Virginia, Clemson, who is No. 23 in the latest net rankings, could earn a Quad 2 win, as it would be a victory against a team ranked between 76-135 (97) in its home arena.
After that, the Tigers (23-5, 15-2 ACC) travel to Boston College (12-16, 4-13 ACC) on March 5 for their last away game of the regular season. A win would give the Tigers a Quad 3 win due to their opponents’ rankings between 135-240 (199) and being a road game for Clemson.
Finally, Clemson will head home for Senior Day on March 8 and its last regular season game. Facing off against Virginia Tech (12-16, 7-10 ACC), which sits at NET rank 156, Clemson could earn a Quad 4 win at home.
All three games are critical for Clemson, which would help boost momentum and maybe give the Tigers a higher seed in the ACC Tournament.
The double bye is secured for the tournament, as they earned it after their win against Notre Dame, but victories in these last three games could help boost their ACC standings even more should Louisville and/or Duke loose a game.
Currently, the Tigers sit behind the Duke Blue Devils (25-3, 16-1 ACC) by one game and are tied with Louisville for second place, which means if the tournament started today, the Tigers would be the No. 3 seed due to the Cardinals’ head-to-head win over Clemson on Jan. 7.
ACC’s top 6 Teams
- Duke 16-1 ACC
- Louisville 15-2 ACC
- Clemson 15-2 ACC
- SMU 12-5 ACC
- Wake Forest 11-6 ACC
- North Carolina 18-11, 11-6 ACC
NET Rankings
Clemson still stands strong in the NET with a No. 23 ranking, just behind the Big Ten’s Michigan (21) and Illinois (22).
Behind them are Louisville (26), SMU (42), North Carolina (45), Pittsburgh (57), and the rest of the ACC. The only team in the ACC above the Tigers is the Blue Devils, who sit at No. 2.
The Tigers are 4-2 in Quad 1 games, 7-2 in Quad 2 games, 7-1 in Quad 3 games, and 5-0 in Quad 4 games.
Bracketology
Clemson is solidly set as a No. 5 seed in the latest Bracketology reports. However, each report is different and has the Tigers in different places with different opponents, so it is worth reviewing.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Tigers as a No. 5 seed in the West, playing No. 12 UC San Diego in the Seattle Region. After that, the Tigers would likely face No. 4 Purdue and No. 1 Florida afterward. Additionally, Lunardi has Louisville as a No. 7 seed in the East, along with Duke at No. 1.
USA TODAY also has the Tigers as a No. 5 seed, this time playing No. 12 Drake in the Denver Region. The matchups following would likely be against No. 4 Arizona and No. 1 Florida. They have Louisville as a No. 6 seed in the South, playing No. 11 Texas A&M in the first round. Duke is listed as a No. 1 seed here as well.
Finally, Jerry Palm of CBS Sports puts the Tigers at No. 5, facing No. 12 McNeese in the Midwest. After that, Clemson might face up against No. 4 Missouri and No. 1 Alabama. Palm also puts Louisville in the Midwest as a No. 7 seed while keeping Duke as a No. 1 seed.