Where Clemson basketball stands in latest NCAA projections after ACC losing streak

Clemson men’s basketball is still viewed as an NCAA Tournament team, but a four-game ACC losing streak has significantly impacted the Tigers’ seeding.

And a continued rut could put coach Brad Brownell’s program on the bubble.

That’s according to the latest round of bracketology, which has Clemson (20-8, 10-5 ACC) as a projected No. 9 seed in the field of 68 after another 0-2 week in ACC play.

The Tigers lost 85-77 at Wake Forest last Wednesday and 70-65 to Florida State at home on Saturday — which was their second-straight loss at Littlejohn Coliseum and third in four tries after a 10-0 home start.

Throw in losses to Virginia Tech and then-No. 4 Duke the week before, and Clemson is on its first four-game losing streak since 2021-22. It’s the type of stretch that makes you forget the Tigers were once 20-4 (10-1 ACC) and ranked as high as No. 18 in the AP Top 25.

Thanks to a No. 38 NCAA NET ranking, Clemson was still included on all 112 regularly updated brackets tracked by the website bracketmatrix.com as of Monday. But the Tigers’ average projected seed was 8.62 — essentially a No. 9 seed.

Other schools on the No. 9 seed line were UCF (Big 12), Saint Mary’s (West Coast) and Georgia (SEC). Two ACC schools Clemson beat at home earlier this season — SMU and Miami — have jumped the Tigers and are ahead of them as No. 8 seeds for March Madness.

Once the talk of the league after ripping off 14 straight ACC road wins and thriving with a new-look roster, Clemson could now enter the conference tournament in Charlotte needing a win or two to feel truly comfortable about its position.

In the ever-changing NCAA NET metrics, which define good wins and bad losses and are a key postseason evaluation metric, Clemson is 3-5 in Quad 1 games, 7-3 in Quad 2 and a combined 10-0 in Quad 3 and 4 games. Saturday’s home loss to Florida State (currently No. 74 in the NET rankings, right above the cut-off line for Quad 3 classification) could prove damaging depending on FSU’s finish.

The Tigers close the regular season with a home game against No. 24 Louisville on Saturday, a March 3 road game at No. 18 UNC and their March 7 home finale/senior day vs. Georgia Tech. The ACC Tournament starts in Charlotte on March 10.

Latest Clemson NCAA tournament projections

As of Feb. 24

ESPN: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 Indiana in Philadelphia (South Region)

CBS: No. 10 seed vs No. 7 Utah State (East Region)

The Athletic: No. 9 seed vs No. 8 Kentucky in Buffalo, NY (Midwest Region)

On3 Sports: No. 10 seed vs. No. 7 Kentucky in St. Louis (South Region)

USA Today Sports: No. 9 seed vs. No. 8 Texas in St. Louis (South Region)

Field of 68: No. 9 seed vs. No. 8 Utah State (West Region)

Hoops HQ: No. 9 seed vs. No. 8 Utah State in Philadelphia (Midwest Region)

Patrick Stevens: No. 9 seed vs. No. 8 Utah State in San Diego (West Region)

This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Where Clemson basketball stands in latest NCAA projections after ACC losing streak."

Chapel Fowler

The State

Chapel Fowler, the NSMA’s 2024 South Carolina Sportswriter of the Year, has covered Clemson football and other topics for The State since summer 2022. His work’s also been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a UNC-Chapel Hill alum and a pickup basketball enthusiast. Support my work with a digital subscription