Clemson Tigers Disrespected in Latest Preseason College Basketball Preview

After making it to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980, the Clemson Tigers Men's Basketball team is not being seen as one of the top contenders in the country.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After last season’s impressive run, the Clemson Tigers were disrespected in a recent preseason ranking.

The Tigers men’s basketball team made it to the Elite Eight in last year’s NCAA Tournament. However, that didn’t seem to hold much weight as Matt Norlander of CBS Sports ranked them outside the Top 25 in his Top 100 And 1 best teams for the 2024-25 season. The writer ranked Clemson as the 34th-best team in the country despite ending last year as one of the best programs.

Not many believe that the Tigers can repeat a return deep into the tournament this March, let alone possibly make it back to the dance to begin with. According to Norlander, a return to the tourney would be the first consecutive time under Clemson's current head coach.

“What encore is in store for the team that made its first Elite Eight in 44 years? The Tigers have a healthy chance at a fifth NCAA Tournament push under Brad Brownell (and it would be the first time ever under him that Clemson made back-to-back Big Dances) with the return of Chase Hunter at combo guard and power forward Ian Schieffelin.”

Schieffelin will be the biggest reason why Clemson will find themselves back in contention for a National Championship in 2025 as he continues to impress on the court. He started all 36 games for the Tigers last season and recorded a career-high 27.5 minutes per game. The senior forward has exceeded every expectation since joining the Tigers, and he compliments the way Brownell likes to manage his players on the court. 

One of the main reasons it appears that Norlander isn’t as high on the Tigers this season is the departure of their big man from last year’s run.

“Had PJ Hall come back, Clemson would have easily been a preseason AP Top 25 team. Without him, they'll look to make up some ground and can get their bona fides on defense with Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin.”

Hall decided not to return for his final year of eligibility after signing a two-way contract with NBA team Denver Nuggets this summer. The 6’8” forward was an All-ACC First Team selection last year as he set the school record for points in a season with 659. He ended his Clemson career seventh all-time with 1,702 points.

If Clemson wants to be taken more seriously for the upcoming season, regardless of last year’s final outcome, they could find a way to improve in conference play. Last year, the Tigers finished fifth in the standings after an 11-9 record in the ACC. If they can build on last year’s success and find a way for it to translate into their conference record, not only will they make the tournament, but they will be entered as a much higher seed sixth.

The Tigers will begin the 2024/25 regular season against Charleston Southern on November 4th. They will open ACC Play on December 7th on the road against the Miami Hurricanes.