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ACC Basketball: Ranking all 18 programs after additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU

By Tristan Freeman

Feb 5, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase during the second half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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ACC Basketball Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

15. Clemson Tigers

Through the first half of league play, Clemson was actually in first place in the ACC Basketball standings and on track for just its second-ever ACC regular-season title. Instead, they fell apart down the stretch and missed the NCAA Tournament, keeping head coach Brad Brownell on the continuing hot seat.

To Brownell’s credit, he’s always kept the Tigers fairly competitive as a program, year in and year out. That’s been what Clemson Basketball has been throughout its history, having just four Sweet 16 appearances in the past four decades combined. That kind of consistency gives them a high floor but also one of the lowest ceilings in the ACC as well.

That’s what should be worrying for Clemson overall. If any of these newcomers break out, that’s going to likely come at their expense. Plus, if the former Big East schools (Louisville, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, and Syracuse) get back into national form, that’ll hurt the Tigers even more.

The Tigers had a solid transfer class this offseason but the overall recruiting will need to take a jump going forward now that schools from California and Texas are joining the ACC. And unfortunately for them, the state of South Carolina doesn’t compare with them when it comes to the volume of overall prospects.