Bracketology 2023: Clemson, Illinois among teams moving up seed list

January 21, 2023; Clemson, SC; Clemson sophomore forward PJ Hall (24) hugs forward Hunter Tyson (5) near freshman forward Chauncey Wiggins (21) after the Tigers beat Virginia Tech at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, January 21, 2023. Hunter made the go-ahead three-point shot and rebound in the end helping the Tigers win 51-50. Hall led the Tigers with 20 points. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY NETWORK /

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Bracketology Vanderbilt Commodores forward Myles Stute David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

NC State Wolfpack (15-5, 5-4 in ACC)

It seems as though the last couple of seasons NC State’s Kevin Keatts has been on the hot seat, but the way his Wolfpack has been playing, that seat might be cooling some. They are 15-5 and just two games out of 2nd place in the ACC. Three of their four losses in league play have come against three of the top four teams in the league, Clemson, Miami, and a resurgent Pittsburgh team. Oh, and their only non-conference loss was to Kansas. The Wolfpack have loved how 2023 has looked so far, beginning the year by knocking off Duke, Virginia Tech, and Miami in succession.

Since then they have gone on to split with Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Their strong January has pushed their NET ranking up to 36th with an average predictive metric score of 37. Their best win prior to league play was a win over Dayton in the Bahamas, but their acc schedule has pushed their record in the first two quads to 6-5.

Terquavion Smith has been the guy all year long for the Wolfpack, but now a cloud hangs over the Wolfpack because Smith was stretchered off in their last game with North Carolina after suffering a neck and elbow injury after being fouled in mid-air. The 6’4 sophomore is averaging 18.7 points, and 4.5 assists and is shooting 33% from beyond the arc.

But NC State’s good play hasn’t been just Smith, Jarkel Joiner has been good as well averaging 16 points since Christmas. NC State is now a team in the field for me and continued strong play will only improve their standing.

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