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Analyzing Clemson basketball's 6-1 ACC record: March Madness-bound or false hope?
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- Analyzing Clemson basketball's 6-1 ACC record: March Madness-bound or false hope?
CLEMSON — Clemson basketball is off to its best start in ACC play in two seasons.
The Tigers (14-4, 6-1) are tied for second in the ACC standings after defeating Georgia Tech 70-59 on the road Tuesday. Their only conference loss came against Louisville on Jan. 7, but they are in position to land one of the four ACC Tournament quarterfinal byes and make the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
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Clemson is 36th in the NET rankings , which evaluate a team's record and résumé and is a critical system used to evaluate March Madness teams, with a 1-2 record against Quadrant 1 opponents and undefeated against Quad 3 and 4 foes. The Tigers ' next test is a Quad 1 game on the road against ACC foe Pitt (12-4, 3-2) on Saturday (noon ET, CW Network) at Petersen Events Center.
Here's why Clemson basketball is — and isn't — on the right track with 13 games left in conference play.
Chase Hunter is playing like a superstar for Clemson basketball
Hunter returned for his sixth season to raise his NBA draft stock, and his play has elevated the Tigers. He is averaging 18.4 points (eighth in the ACC), shooting 50%, including 46.2% from 3-point range (first), with 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists over seven conference games.
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Hunter, a preseason second-team All-ACC selection, has led Clemson in scoring in five of its conference games and has made critical baskets and impactful plays. He has improved his scoring and shooting from last season and is one of the reasons why Clemson is among the top teams in the ACC.
MORE: Will Clemson basketball's Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin be taken in NBA draft? Analysts weigh in
Clemson basketball has one of ACC's top defenses
Clemson allows 63.7 points per game, the second fewest in the ACC — only trailing ACC leader No. 3 Duke . After being a more offensive-driven team, the Tigers turned into a defensive-minded group with the additions of Boston College transfer guard Jaeden Zackery and Cincinnati transfer center Viktor Lakhin.
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These transfers helped complement Hunter, Ian Schieffelin and Chauncey Wiggins in the starting lineup, holding three ACC opponents under 60 points. Zackery leads the conference in steals with 19, and Lakhin leads it in blocks with 13 in ACC play. The Tigers also force the most turnovers in the ACC with 93 and hold opponents to 27.5% shooting from 3-point range, the second-lowest in the conference.
Clemson basketball has struggled to contain elite scorers
When the Tigers struggle on defense, it happens when an opposing player has a big scoring game. Louisville 's J'Vonne Hadley scored a season-high 32 points vs Clemson. Even in their wins, the Tigers allowed dominant scoring performances, including Wake Forest 's Hunter Sallis (26 points), Stanford 's Oziyah Sellers (20) and Cal's Andrej Stojakovic (30).
Clemson has limited other prominent scorers like FSU's Jamir Watkins, holding him to 11 points, but it must consistently contain them with tougher ACC games on the horizon. The Tigers will face more capable scorers, including Duke 's Cooper Flag, North Carolina 's Ian Jackson and Pitt's Jaland Lowe , and must figure out how to contain them.
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Clemson basketball's ACC schedule has been weak so far
Clemson's ACC opponents so far - Miami, Wake Forest, Stanford, Cal, Louisville, Florida State and Georgia Tech — has a combined record of 17-19. Louisville is the only projected March Madness conference opponent the Tigers have faced, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi , and they lost that matchup.
How will Clemson do when the quality of competition raises? The Tigers' next game is a Quad 1 opportunity against Pitt, which is projected to make March Madness. A win would improve Clemson's résumé, but a loss will drop it to 1-3 in those types of matchups.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson basketball: Chase Hunter, Tigers concerned at 6-1 in ACC?
