18. Clemson (16-3)
During nonconference play, Clemson had two big chances to breakthrough and fell just short, losing close battles to Alabama and BYU in early December. This team did beat Georgia in overtime and have looked very solid in recent weeks and are truly entering the conversation of an ACC contender. The Tigers hung on for a few close wins to start off ACC play but really emerged this past week.
As expected, Clemson didn’t struggle in a 74-50 win over Boston College. Nick Davidson really showed out with a 25-point performance off the bench in the comfortable victory. Saturday’s matchup was a bit more interesting but the Tigers really showed up again, getting a 69-59 win at home over a solid team from Miami. Carter Welling had 18 points and 9 rebounds, Jestin Porter added 11 points, and the Tigers continued their perfect start to league play.
Winners of nine straight games, Clemson is trending in a great direction at the right time of the year. There’s still a lot of basketball left ahead and the Tigers will have to prove themselves many more times, but Brad Brownell’s team plays smart ball, defends well, and has found ways to close out these important games. We’ll see them in action next against an NC State team trending in the opposite direction.