College Basketball Insider Predicts Clemson Tigers Miss Tourney

The Clemson Tigers made the dance last season, but have been predicted to miss out on March festivities this year.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While all eyes have been focused on the Clemson Tigers football team as they fight for another appearance in the College Football Playoffs, Clemson Tigers men's basketball coach Brad Brownell has been toiling away to making sure that his team is ready to follow up their Elite Eight appearance with another strong campaign.

It was the deepest run any Brownell-led team has made in the NCAA Tournament, though he has appeared in it seven times in his 22 seasons as a head coach, including four in his 14-year tenure with the Tigers.

Brownell has an upsetting trend that is working against him this year, however, as in every season following an NCAA Tournament appearance, his teams have failed to make the dance.

It is a trend that one college basketball insider predicts will continue this year, with Brendan Quinn of The Athletic predicting Clemson to be a high-major tournament team from 2024 to miss out completely in 2025.

"With all due (abundant) respect to Brad Brownell, it would be entirely on-brand to reach the Elite Eight, sign a new contract extension and promptly drop back to reality and miss the NCAA Tournament," writes Quinn, "With Tony Bennett’s departure, he’s now the second-longest tenured coach in the conference, but the previous three times he reached the dance (2011, 2018, 2021), his follow-up seasons produced records of 16-15, 20-14 and 17-16 heading into Selection Sunday."

It is a troubling trend that Brownell has made for himself, but it is one that the Tigers should be more than capable of bringing to an end this year.

Clemson is bringing back three starters from last year's team, as well as bringing in three veteran transfers, so the talent is there, even with PJ Hall now suiting up for the Denver Nuggets.

The most-seasoned veteran on the roster now will be guard Chase Hunter, and Brownell will look to Hunter to help lead this team back to the NCAA Tournament, which would mark their third appearance in five years.

Hunter, a sixth-year senior, is listed at 6'4" and 202 pounds, having more than enough size to man the shooting guard position with ease.

Last year, Hunter tallied 12.9 points on 42.4 percent shooting with 3.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.7 steals across 32.8 minutes in 36 starts.

As the new leader of the team, Brownell is hopeful that Hunter can take another step forward in his performance, and help break this troubling trend that the veteran coach has made.