Clemson Tigers Comfortably Inside Recent NCAA Tournament Projected Field

The Clemson Tigers are comfortably inside the most recent NCAA Tournament projected field.

Dec 17, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers forward Ian Schieffelin (4) leaves the game after fouling out against the South Carolina Gamecocks in overtime of South Carolina’s 91-88 win at Colonial Life Arena. / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The 2024-25 men’s college basketball season has been rather successful for the Clemson Tigers as they prepare for their ACC schedule.

They have started the season 10-3, which includes a resume-defining victory over the Kentucky Wildcats at Littlejohn Coliseum during the SEC/ACC Challenge. That was one of many challenging non-conference games the team played to bolster their resume.

Some of those games, such as a true road game against the Boise State Broncos, didn’t result in a positive outcome. That is one of the team’s three losses, along with overtime defeats against the Memphis Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks.

Those aren’t bad losses by any means, as all of their defeats have come in Quad 1 and 2 matchups.

Clemson is handling business against the teams they are expected to defeat, which is always a positive.

Entering the year, the Tigers were considered a bubble team by many analysts despite the impressive run they went on during the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

As a No. 6 seed, they advanced to the Elite Eight, where they were upended by the Alabama Crimson Tide. Along the way, they defeated the New Mexico Lobos, Baylor Bears and Arizona Wildcats.

However, if they want to reach that seed line or improve it in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, work remains.

Right now, Clemson is comfortably within the field of 68 according to projections shared by Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report. They are currently the No. 7 seed in the East Region that will be in Newark, New Jersey.

Their first-round opponent would be the No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes out of the Big Ten, with that game set to be played in Raleigh, North Carolina. The victory in that matchup would face the winner of the game between the No. 2 projected Florida Gators and No. 15 Colorado State Rams.

Despite their seed dropping, that would be an ideal landing spot for the Tigers. Raleigh would give them the edge when it comes to the crowd being in ACC country.

Alas, there is plenty of work to be done for Clemson to clinch an at-large bid. They are going to face some challenges throughout the remainder of the season despite their conference looking less daunting now than it did coming into the campaign.

The Tigers are already off to a good start when it comes to moving off the bubble. They are currently No. 36 in the NET ranking and have started 2-0 in ACC play ahead of hosting the Stanford Cardinal on Jan. 1.