Only a few hours remain before the 2026 men’s basketball NCAA Tournament selection show.
For the Clemson Tigers (24-10 overall), a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament awaits after the Tigers knocked off North Carolina, 80-79, at the ACC Tournament on Thursday in Charlotte. The win over UNC gave Clemson its sixth Quad 1 win this week, and its second in two weeks. The Tigers also defeated Louisville back on Feb. 28 to snap a four-game losing streak.
Clemson’s final chance to test itself against the nation’s best came in Friday’s ACC Tournament semifinals against No. 1 Duke. But the Blue Devils took control midway through the first half and opened a 41-22 lead at halftime en route to a comfortable 73-61 win.
Cameron Boozer had 24 points, and his brother Cayden added 16 for Duke. RJ Godfrey, Clemson’s leading scorer this season at 11.9 points per game, finished with 18 points and six rebounds in the loss to the Blue Devils.
The Tigers may not have the best résumé, but they’re seen as a lock to reach the NCAA Tournament in college basketball experts’ final March Madness bracketology outlooks.
What seed will Clemson get in men’s basketball NCAA Tournament?
Clemson is a projected No. 8 seed in the latest March Madness forecasts from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus, CBS Sports’ David Cobb and Brad Crawford, and veteran college basketball analyst Jerry Palm.
Lunardi has the Tigers in the South Region bracket and opening the NCAA Tournament in Tampa, Florida, against the Saint Louis Billikens (28-5) in the No. 8 vs. 9 seed game.
USA TODAY Sports sees a Clemson vs. Ohio State (21-12) matchup in the first round of the tournament at the West Region in San Jose, California. Both Palm and CBS Sports have the Tigers taking on TCU (22-11) in the opening round.
With a win in the first round, Clemson would face one of the top four seeds in the round of 32 barring a historic No. 1 vs. 16 upset to open the tournament.
Projected top four seeds for NCAA Tournament entering Selection Sunday
Per USA TODAY Sports:
“The No. 1 seeds appear straightforward with Duke going to the East Region as the top overall seed and Michigan, Florida and Arizona staying in their respective geographical areas in the Midwest, South and West part of the bracket.”
Clemson basketball’s résumé ahead of NCAA Tournament
- Record: 24-10 overall, 12-6 ACC
- Quad 1 wins: vs. North Carolina (80-79), vs. Louisville (80-75), at California (77-55), at Stanford (66-64), vs. Cincinnati (68-65), vs. Georgia (97-74).
- Worst losses: at Georgetown (79-74), at Wake Forest (85-77), vs. Florida State (70-65)
- NET ranking: No. 34
- KenPom rating: No. 36
- ESPN strength of schedule: No. 32
- Last 10 games: 4-6
A breakdown of Clemson’s win-loss résumé:
- vs. Quad 1 opponents: 6-6
- vs. Quad 2 opponents: 7-4
- vs. Quad 3 opponents: 4-0
- vs. Quad 4 opponents: 7-0
ACC basketball teams in USA TODAY Sports’ final NCAA Tournament projections
Using USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology, the ACC has eight teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament entering the final weekend of the regular season. That’s tied with the Big 12 for the third-most bids for any conference. The SEC leads the way with 10 projected bids, followed by the Big Ten with nine.
- Duke Blue Devils (No. 1 seed, East Region)
- Virginia Cavaliers (No. 4 seed, South Region)
- North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 6 seed, Midwest Region)
- Louisville Cardinals (No. 6 seed, South Region)
- Miami Hurricanes (No. 7 seed, East Region)
- NC State Wolfpack (No. 10 seed, Midwest Region)
- Clemson Tigers (No. 8 seed, West Region)
- SMU Mustangs (No. 11 seed, First Four)
What time is Selection Sunday for 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament?
The men’s NCAA Tournament selection show begins at 5 p.m. CT Sunday.
What channel is men’s NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday show on?
The full 68-team bracket will be unveiled live on CBS.
Clemson basketball schedule 2026
- Nov. 3: vs. New Hampshire (W, 88-38)
- Nov. 7: vs. Gardner-Webb (W, 97-59)
- Nov. 11: vs. Morehead State (W, 83-56)
- Nov. 15: at Georgetown (L, 79-74)
- Nov. 17: vs. North Alabama (W, 81-61)
- Nov. 21: vs. West Virginia (W, 70-67)
- Nov. 23: vs. Georgia (W, 97-94, OT)
- Nov. 28: vs. Alabama A&M (W, 92-56)
- Dec. 3: at Alabama (L, 90-84)
- Dec. 9 vs. BYU (L, 67-64)
- Dec. 13: vs. Mercer (W, 70-63)
- Dec. 16: vs. South Carolina (W, 68-61)
- Dec. 21: vs. Cincinnati (W, 68-65)
- Dec. 31: at Syracuse (W, 64-61)
- Jan. 3: at Pittsburgh (W, 73-68)
- Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 74-70)
- Jan. 10: at Notre Dame (W, 76-61)
- Jan. 13: vs. Boston College (W, 74-50)
- Jan. 17: vs. Miami (W, 69-59)
- Jan. 20: vs. NC State (L, 80-76, OT)
- Jan. 24: at Georgia Tech (W, 77-63)
- Jan. 31: vs. Pittsburgh (W, 63-52)
- Feb. 4: at Stanford (W, 66-64)
- Feb. 7: at California (W, 77-55)
- Feb. 11: vs. Virginia Tech (L, 76-66)
- Feb. 14: at Duke (L, 67-54)
- Feb. 18: at Wake Forest (L, 85-77)
- Feb. 21: Florida State (L, 70-65)
- Feb. 28: vs. Louisville (W, 80-75)
- March 3: at North Carolina (L, 67-63)
- March 7: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 79-76)
ACC Tournament:
- March 11: vs. Wake Forest (W, 71-62)
- March 12: vs. North Carolina (W, 80-79)
- March 13: vs. Duke (L, 73-61)
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson’s final NCAA Tournament projections on busy Selection Sunday