25. Clemson (17-4)
While we’re several weeks away from seeing if Clemson can match last year’s trip to the Elite Eight, this year’s edition of the team has played some pretty solid basketball. The Tigers beat Kentucky to begin December and have a few other solid wins en route to a great start to ACC play. They won’t get a ton of chances to impress in this conference, but can they keep themselves float and in great postseason position regardless?
They took care of business again on Wednesday, getting an 86-72 win over Syracuse to keep up their hot streak. Chase Hunter scored 23 points while Viktor Lakhin had a double-double in a solid win over the Orange. Another road game went their way this weekend, with the Tigers winning 72-57 at Virginia Tech, already their fourth road win in league play. Chauncy Wiggins led with 16 points during a decent defensive effort for the team.
The Tigers have lost a few tough games and struggled at Louisville a few weeks back, but it’s been mostly good news from Clemson. They’re now 9-1 in the ACC and in great position to make the NCAA Tournament if they keep that up. The Tigers are certainly a Top 4 team in this conference and have played particularly well offensively in recent weeks. They’ll be at NC State next weekend, looking for another road victory.