Clemson: 17-13, 10-8 in the ACC
Head Coach: Brad Brownell
Leading Scorer: Jarron Blossomgame (18.6 PPG)
Season Recap: After being predicted to finish 12th in the ACC, the Tigers became one of the league's surprise teams during the first month of conference play. Led by Blossomgame's versatility, Clemson knocked off Louisville, Duke and Miami at home during a three-game January stretch en route to recording just the fifth 10-win ACC regular season in school history.
Although Blossomgame is the engine that makes the Tigers go, frontcourt mates Donte Grantham and Landry Nnoko also make Clemson a dangerous team on the glass. The key for the Tigers is whether their backcourt can bounce back from a disappointing finish to the regular season. Clemson lost three of its last four games—including one to Georgia Tech, which it faces to open the ACC tournament Wednesday—and five of its last eight, meaning senior guard Jordan Roper and company will need to spark a big ACC tournament run for the Tigers to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011.
How they make a run: Blossomgame has developed into one of the best players in the country as a junior, and the Tigers will need him to continue his hot perimeter shooting—the forward made at least three 3-pointers in each of Clemson's last four regular-season games—to make a run. Blossomgame put up 31 points against Virginia in a seven-point loss Tuesday, so if the Tigers can get past Georgia Tech and upset the Cavaliers, their star could carry them deep into the ACC tournament.
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