21. Clemson (21-8)
Early in February, Clemson was really riding high. There was a point when the Tigers had won 13 of their last 14 and were looking like a team that could win the ACC regular season title. Unfortunately, Brad Brownell’s squad hit some struggles in recent weeks, falling out of that race but not out of our attention. How exactly can we include a team that entered play on a four-game losing streak?
The Tigers showed up when it mattered most on Saturday, securing a ranked win with an emphatic performance on both sides of the ball. They won 80-75 at home over Louisville to get this season back on track in the late going. Jestin Porter led the scoring with 16 points while RJ Godfrey had 13 points and 7 rebounds to help lead this much-needed victory for a Tigers team now 11-5 in the ACC.
The team we saw stockpiling wins a month ago can win notable contests during March and that’s the type of team Brownell is hoping continues to show up in the weeks ahead. Clemson needed this type of showing against Louisville and picked up another nice win in ACC play, but let’s not start celebrating anything yet. They have a tough one at North Carolina next week and the upcoming ACC Tournament will no doubt push the Tigers even harder.