CLEMSON — This is it.
One game left in the regular season, and madness feels like it is such a reach away.
After sliding past Boston College on Wednesday, Clemson has one last matchup before heading into next week’s ACC Tournament. Since last week, the rankings have shifted, and there are new implications.
The Clemson Insider breaks it all down with its latest bracketology report.
ACC Rankings + What’s Next
As of today, the Clemson Tigers are tied for second in the ACC standing, with a record of 25-5 overall and 17-2 in the conference. Right in front of them by one conference game is the Duke Blue Devils (27-3, 18-1 ACC), and tied is the Louisville Cardinals (24-6, 17-2 ACC). Things are holding tight within the top three, but Clemson does not need to fear with already clinching a double-bye in the ACC Tournament.
The Tigers have one last game in the regular season, coming back home for Senior Day to face the Virginia Tech Hokies (13-17, 8-11 ACC). While not the most challenging matchup, conference games can always provide an area for upset, so the Tigers must be ready to show out.
Clemson is looking for its eighth straight ACC victory, which would be a new school record for the Tigers.
The Top Five ACC rankings, along with their upcoming matchups, look like:
- Duke (27-3, 18-1 ACC): at North Carolina, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
- Louisville (24-6, 17-2 ACC): vs. Stanford, Saturday, 2 p.m.
- Clemson (25-5, 17-2 ACC): vs. Virginia Tech, Saturday, 6 p.m.
- North Carolina (20-11, 13-6 ACC): vs. Duke, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
- SMU (22-8, 13-6 ACC): at Florida State, Saturday, 4 p.m.
NET Rankings
The Tigers sit at No. 22 in the NET Rankings, not moving since their previous position. With their win against Boston College, they earned a Quad 3 win. It didn’t, however, move things for them.
Defeating Virginia Tech would give the Tigers a Quad 4 win at home, as they are ranked No. 164 in the NET. It is not likely to move them, but at this point, to potential close with an eight-game win streak and 17 wins in its last 19 games, the selection committee knows how good of a team No. 11 Clemson is heading into the postseason.
Duke ranks No. 1 in the NET, while Louisville sits close behind the Tigers at No. 25.
Bracketology
Like last week, Clemson is ranked mostly as a No. 5 seed in the latest bracketology reports. However, due to the very tight win at Boston College and other games around the league, there is a good variety.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, who ranks Clemson No. 17 on his list, has the Tigers as the highest ranked No. 5 seed. He has them sitting in the South Region where they are slated to face the winner of Boise State and Nebraska in the Providence Pod. Lunardi has UNC as one of the last four teams out of the tournament, with SMU and Wake Forest in the next four out. Additionally, he has Duke as a No. 1 seed in the East and Louisville as a rising No. 6 seed in the Midwest.
USA TODAY has the Tigers as a No. 5 seed as well, taking on the winner of Xavier and Indiana in Seattle of the West Region. In this one, they also have Louisville as a No. 6 seed, this time in the South region of Wichita, facing the winner of Boise State and Ohio State. Of course, Duke is set at No. 1.
Finally, Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has the Tigers at No. 6, lower than the other two major rankings. He has Clemson taking on Arkansas in Denver in the West Regional, while No. 7 Louisville accompanies Clemson in the West while facing Baylor in the Cleveland area. Duke, like most other brackets, is sitting at No. 1.