Bracketology 2023: 8 teams in danger of sliding out of NCAA Tournament

Clemson Tigers

The Tigers were one of the biggest surprises in conference play, starting out 8-0 in ACC play and in sole possession of first place. But they were never truly safe when it came to Bracketology, due to a pair of awful losses that came in non-conference play.

They lost on the road in the second game of the season to South Carolina, who is currently 10-17 overall and 3-11 in SEC play. And they also suffered a neutral site defeat to Loyola-Chicago, who is having a very down year in the first year in the Atlantic 10, currently in last place. Both of them are Quad 4 losses, a pair of anchors that have limited their ceilings for an at-large bid.

The hopes for Clemson are fading fast, now having lost 4 of the last 5 games. That included a road defeat to Boston College and last weekend, a road setback to Louisville, the worst team in the ACC, and arguably the worst loss possible for any bubble team.

That defeat dropped the Tigers’ NET ranking to around 80 and now with three Quad 4 defeats. Their best wins to date are against Duke and NC State, which simply isn’t good enough to get into the NCAA Tournament. Some were complaining how the team with the best record in the ACC was on the bubble but when you look closer at Clemson’s resume, it’s clear why. And now, they may need a make a deep run in the conference tournament to have a chance.