Clemson Tigers Rise in AP Poll, Fall Just Short of Top-10 Ranking

The Clemson Tigers are playing some excellent basketball and are finally starting to gain some national attention.

It has been a great campaign so far for the Tigers, and with March now here, the program is hoping to replicate the success they had last year.

While Clemson might have had a surprise run in the NCAA Tournament last season, they shouldn’t be overlooked heading into March Madness this campaign.

After another two-win week, the Tigers have a 24-5 record overall and are an impressive 16-2 in the ACC. Unfortunately, despite beating the Duke Blue Devils, Clemson still finds themselves trailing them with just two games left to play.

With the final week of the regular season upcoming, the Tigers continued to rise the recent AP Poll, making it to No. 11.

The move up in the rankings was deserved with wins against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Virginia Cavaliers.

Since their overtime loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, this Tigers team has been red-hot with six straight wins. Furthermore, they have won 12 of their last 13 contests, making this one of the best stretches in program history.

Brad Brownell has the team playing really well on both ends of the court with the offense scoring 70 or more points in seven straight games. Also, the defense has improved as the season has gone on, with five straight games holding their opponents to under 70 points.

Come tournament time, being well-balanced is a recipe for success, and Clemson is really hitting their groove.

This past week, it was Ian Schieffelin who performed well in the two victories.

The senior forward totaled 24 points and nine rebounds against the Fighting Irish and followed it up with 21 points and 13 rebounds against the Cavaliers.

With the regular season wrapping up this week, the Tigers are going to be a favorite in each game and have a strong chance of going into the ACC Tournament on an eight-game winning streak.

Since the competition in the conference hasn’t been great, getting another game against a quality opponent like Duke or the Louisville Cardinals will be important to help prepare for the NCAA Tournament.

After reaching the Elite Eight last season, the now-No.11-ranked team in the country will be hoping to go even further this time around.

There is a strong possibility the Tigers will be ranked inside the top 10 next week, and they certainly won’t be overlooked going into the ACC Tournament.