3 top teams Clemson basketball wouldn’t mind facing in the 2025 NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Tournament is right around the corner and Clemson basketball will be dancing again and this time there’s no doubt that the Tigers will make the field of 68.
In years past, Clemson may have been on the bubble, but Brad Brownell has ensured that this team doesn’t have to sweat it out on Selection Sunday. The Tigers are 24-5 overall and have won 12-of-13 games, including a huge victory over Duke.
The only loss in that span was a shocking three-point home defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech but it looks like this team can play with just about anyone.
But with the NCAA Tournament right around the corner, which top teams (top five seeds) should Clemson want to face if the Tigers make it past the first weekend?
1. Michigan Wolverines (projected 4-seed)
There’s a chance that if Clemson gets past the first weekend, a team like Michigan could be waiting for them in the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight and this is the kind of team I think the Tigers would love to face.
Clemson has one of the best defenses in the country and Michigan can be very streaky. The Wolverines have also been playing essentially every team closely for the past month, winning its last nine games by four points or fewer. The Wolverines have a negative point differential over the past 13 games and they are 9-4 in that stretch.
This team is solid, but Clemson can handle the Wolverines.
2. Tennessee Volunteers (projected 1-seed)
Am I crazy for putting Tennessee on this list? I mean call me old-fashioned, but Rick Barnes in March just doesn’t scare me. I’ve seen better teams of his stumble in March and I think he might have a legit Final Four contender, but a good 3-5 seed like Clemson could trip the Vols up early.
Tennessee does have an elite defense but not a great offense which means that this would be a heck of a defensive battle. The Vols are susceptible to March upsets and I think this would be the ideal 1-seed for Clemson to face if they had to choose one.
3. Arizona Wildcats (projected 4-seed)
Arizona is getting a ton of love for some reason despite being just 19-10 this season and if Clemson earns a 3-seed, they will probably hope Arizona is the 4-seed or 5-seed in their region.
The Wildcats were projected to be one of the best teams in the country at the start of the year but they limped out to a 4-5 start to the season. They then reeled off 13 wins over their next 14 games, including victories over Texas Tech and Iowa State. Since then, however, they are just 2-4 with lone wins coming against Baylor and Utah in that stretch.
This team is limping into the NCAA Tournament and it’s the exact type of “top” team that Clemson should hope for a matchup with. I just don’t see the Wildcats being much of a threat.
BONUS: St. John’s (projected 3-seed)
Sure, Rick Pitino is someone Clemson should want to avoid in March because he’s a legend, but I’m not so sure his team is as unbeatable as everyone makes it seem. The Red Storm played just four power conference teams outside of the Big East this season and went 2-2 in those games and they weren’t exactly against world-beaters.
St. John’s lost to Virginia and Kansas State but beat Baylor and Georgia which means that when they’re presented with tough non-conference opponents, they tend to struggle.
I’m not buying all the St. John’s hype, especially since the Big East is down this year.
