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Where Clemson sits in ESPN's bracketology entering West Coast trip

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The Clemson Tigers have benefited somewhat from a backloaded ACC basketball schedule that thus far has seen Brad Brownell's team feasting on mid-to-lower level conference programs.

Not that Clemson's résumé or the results of their first nine conference games are anything to scoff at; the Tigers can had no say in the ACC schedule-makers' decisions and can only play the hand they were dealt. With the exception of NC State, Clemson (18-4 overall, 8-1 ACC) has beaten every team they were favored to beat.

Most recently, the Tigers defeated Pittsburgh for the second time this season in a 63-52 win at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday. Nick Davidson and Carter Welling had 12 points apiece and RJ Godfrey added 10. Clemson held Pittsburgh to 21 percent shooting in the first half and withstood an early Panthers run in the second half that briefly cut the lead to double digits.

Clemson is ranked No. 19 in this week's USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Tigers are No. 31 in the NET rankings and have two Quad 1 victories: against the Georgia Bulldogs and Syracuse. The Tigers are 6-1 against Quad 2 opponents and 10-0 combined against Quad 3 and Quad 4 opponents.

In the latest KenPom ratings, Clemson checks in at No. 32 with an overall rating of +20.89 (117.3 on offense, 96.4 defense). The Tigers' defensive rating is 15th nationally in KenPom.

Clemson is out west to face Stanford and California this week before returning to the heart of ACC country where tougher competition awaits in Virginia Tech on Feb. 11 at Littlejohn Coliseum and then Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 14.

Here's where Clemson sits in ESPN's latest bracketology update, updated on Feb. 3.

Where does Clemson basketball fit in latest NCAA Tournament, March Madness forecast?

In the latest bracketology update from longtime ESPN college basketball prognosticator Joe Lunardi, Clemson remained a projected No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament after its 11-point win over Pittsburgh. It's the same projected seed for the Tigers as the last two weeks.

If the NCAA Tournament were to begin today, Lunardi sees the Tigers taking on the projected First Four play-in winner between No. 11 seeds San Diego State and USC in the first round of the East Region in Tampa, Florida.

If Clemson wins its first-round game, Lunardi has the Tigers facing the No. 3 seed Florida Gators in the second round, barring a first-round Florida upset by 14th-seed Winthrop.

The Arizona Wildcats (22-0) are the projected No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona is ranked No. 1 in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll.

Top four seeds in 2026 NCAA Tournament, per ESPN

With Arizona as ESPN's projected No. 1 overall seed in the West Region, the Duke Blue Devils join them on the seed line as the projected top seed in the East Region. The UConn Huskies (South Region) and Michigan Wolverines (Midwest Region) are also projected No. 1 seeds.

How many ACC basketball teams will reach 2026 NCAA Tournament?

The ACC has eight teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament as of Feb. 3, the third-most of any conference. That number is down from nine teams last week with Virginia Tech falling into Lunardi's "First Four Out." The Big Ten leads the way with 11 projected bids, followed by the SEC with 10.

Here's a look at the ACC teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament in ESPN's latest bracketology.

  • Duke Blue Devils (No. 1 seed, East Region)
  • Clemson Tigers (No. 6 seed, East Region)
  • Virginia Cavaliers (No. 5 seed, Midwest Region)
  • North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 6 seed, Midwest Region)
  • Louisville Cardinals (No. 6 seed, West Region)
  • NC State Wolfpack (No. 8 seed, South Region)
  • SMU Mustangs (No. 9 seed, West Region)
  • Miami Hurricanes (No. 11 seed, South Region)

Clemson basketball schedule 2025-26

Clemson faces the Stanford Cardinal (14-8, 3-6) in a late tipoff Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion. Clemson-Stanford is scheduled to get underway at 10 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

Here's a game-by-game look at Clemson's 2025-26 men's basketball schedule.

All start times Eastern.

  • Nov. 3: vs. New Hampshire (W, 88-38)
  • Nov. 7: vs. Gardner-Webb (W, 97-59)
  • Nov. 11: vs. Morehead State (W, 83-56)
  • Nov. 15: at Georgetown (L, 79-74)
  • Nov. 17: vs. North Alabama (W, 81-61)
  • Nov. 21: vs. West Virginia (W, 70-67)
  • Nov. 23: vs. Georgia (W, 97-94, OT)
  • Nov. 28: vs. Alabama A&M (W, 92-56)
  • Dec. 3: at Alabama (L, 90-84)
  • Dec. 9 vs. BYU (L, 67-64)
  • Dec. 13: vs. Mercer (W, 70-63)
  • Dec. 16: vs. South Carolina (W, 68-61)
  • Dec. 21: vs. Cincinnati (W, 68-65)
  • Dec. 31: at Syracuse (W, 64-61)
  • Jan. 3: at Pittsburgh (W, 73-68)
  • Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 74-70)
  • Jan. 10: at Notre Dame (W, 76-61)
  • Jan. 13: vs. Boston College (W, 74-50)
  • Jan. 17: vs. Miami (W, 69-59)
  • Jan. 20: vs. NC State (L, 80-76, OT)
  • Jan. 24: at Georgia Tech (W, 77-63)
  • Jan. 31: vs. Pittsburgh, Noon, ACC Network
  • Feb. 4: at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACC Network
  • Feb. 7: at California, 8 p.m., ACC Network
  • Feb. 11: vs. Virginia Tech, 7 p.m., ACC Network
  • Feb. 14: at Duke, Noon, ESPN
  • Feb. 18: at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC Network
  • Feb. 21: Florida State, Noon, The CW
  • Feb. 28: vs. Louisville, TBD
  • March 3: at North Carolina, 7 p.m., TBD
  • March 7: vs. Georgia Tech, Noon, ACC Network

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson basketball's updated March Madness outlook, per ESPN