Clemson
There was a point (perhaps there have been several) where Brad Brownell looked to be at the end of the road, but Clemson’s head coach continues to thrive at the school that brought him aboard way back in 2010. He’s taken the Tigers to a few NCAA Tournaments and certainly could have another on his hands this season, especially with the way this team played earlier this week.
Clemson started 9-0, including a massive road win at Alabama, and already have four Quad 1 victories to their name. They hit a bit of a snag near the beginning of ACC play, with a three-game losing streak and later a tough Quad 3 home loss to Georgia Tech. As hinted, Clemson certainly got back on track this week with a road upset at North Carolina, making it easy to forget some of those earlier, close losses.
What’s important for the Tigers is to not repeat those mistakes. They’ve had some impressive performances away from home this season and will hope to pull that off again on Saturday as they head to Syracuse. The Orange aren’t in great position but are certainly still a formidable road foe. Clemson can’t lose the momentum from that upset in Chapel Hill; they have to have this win even if not’s another Quad 1 game.