Where Clemson basketball sits in ESPN bracketology after 4-0 ACC start

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Where Clemson basketball sits in ESPN bracketology after 4-0 ACC start

The Clemson Tigers are riding high after their 4-0 start in ACC basketball play.

Clemson (14-3 overall) picked up a big home win over the 24th-ranked SMU Mustangs, 74-70, last Wednesday at Littlejohn Coliseum behind a strong defensive effort. The Tigers held the ACC’s highest-scoring team entering the night to 37 percent shooting and picked up 17 points from RJ Godfrey in the win over the Mustangs.

The Tigers led for most of the night in a 76-61 win at Notre Dame on Saturday behind a season-high 26 points from Jestin Porter, who added five steals. Godfrey added 16 points and Carter Welling poured in 14.

Clemson has won seven straight games and entered both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll on Monday. The Tigers are ranked No. 21 in the Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the AP poll.

Here’s where Clemson sits in ESPN’s latest bracketology, updated on Jan. 13.

Clemson basketball moves up in ESPN bracketology after hot ACC start

In the latest bracketology update from longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi, Clemson is a projected No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That’s up two spots from last week when the Tigers were projected as a No. 7 seed.

If the NCAA Tournament were to begin today, Lunardi sees the Tigers taking on the projected No. 11 seed winner between the UCLA Bruins and New Mexico Lobos from the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. Lunardi has Clemson in the Midwest Region bracket, along with top seed Michigan, No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, No. 3 seed Houston and No. 4 seed Texas Tech.

Lunardi previously had the Tigers in the Midwest Region bracket and facing the Indiana Hoosiers in the first round of the tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.

ESPN projects the top four seeds in 2026 NCAA Tournament with new No. 1 overall

With the Michigan Wolverines suffering their first loss of the season, 91-88 to Wisconsin on Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats (West Region) are the new projected top seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan is still the projected No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region while the UConn Huskies (East Region) and Iowa State Cyclones (South Region) are projected top seeds in their respective regions.

Is the ACC back? Multiple conference teams expected to reach 2026 NCAA Tournament

The ACC has eight teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament as of Jan. 13, the third most of any conference. The Big Ten leads the way with 11 projected bids, followed by the SEC with nine.

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

Duke Blue Devils (No. 2 seed, East Region)
North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 5 seed, East Region)
Virginia Cavaliers (No. 5 seed, South Region)
Clemson Tigers (No. 5 seed, Midwest Region)
Louisville Cardinals (No. 5 seed, West Region)
SMU Mustangs (No. 7 seed, South Region)
Miami Hurricanes (No. 9 seed, East Region)
NC State Wolfpack (No. 9 seed, South Region)

Clemson basketball schedule: Who do Tigers play next?

Clemson hosts Boston College at Littlejohn Coliseum Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ACC Network. After that, the Tigers will host the Miami Hurricanes Saturday in a matchup of two teams that Lunardi sees making the NCAA Tournament. Tipoff for Clemson-Miami is 2:15 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on The CW

Here’s a look at the Tigers’ 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule.

All start times Eastern.