For the second straight March, there’s a sense that Midwest Region fifth seed Clemson is undervalued.
For the second consecutive March, the Tigers have drawn a first-round opponent many think will defeat them. They will face 12th-seeded McNeese on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament in Providence, R.I.
Last year, Clemson was a sixth seed when it battled No. 11 New Mexico in Memphis. But the Tigers slowed the Lobos down, hounded them into a poor shooting game and won pretty easily to start a run that landed them in the Elite Eight for the first time in 44 years.
This March, few would be stunned if Clemson (27-6) got back to the Elite Eight or even made its first Final Four. The Tigers have proven veterans like sixth-year senior Chase Hunter (16.4 points per game) and versatile power forward Ian Schieffelin (12.8 points, 9.4 rebounds) to go with a collection of transfers and role players who know how to win.
“We can do some big things when we put our mind to it,” Hunter said. “We’ve got a great team and a great group of guys, just like last year. But I think we get doubted a lot.”
While Clemson’s 18-2 Atlantic Coast Conference record might not mean as much to some because the ACC was weaker this season, it did hand Duke its only league loss. It also owns a December home win over then-No. 4 Kentucky.
And even in Friday night’s 76-73 loss to Louisville at the ACC tournament in Charlotte, the Tigers nearly erased an 11-point deficit with less than two minutes left. They had two chances to tie in the final 30 seconds and appeared to be fouled on both shots but the officials didn’t blow a whistle either time.
“We know that we can come back,” Schieffelin said. “Just giving full effort no matter what until the clock hits zero.”
Meanwhile, the Cowboys (27-6) locked down their NCAA bid at home Wednesday night with a 63-54 verdict over Lamar in the finals of the Southland Conference tournament. Syracuse transfer Quadir Copeland scored 18 points as McNeese overcame 41.7 percent shooting and being pummeled 49-32 on the boards.
The program’s second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament represents an old home week of sorts for Cowboys coach Will Wade, a Clemson alum. He was a student manager in the early 2000s at Clemson and then served as a graduate assistant under Oliver Purnell.
“First time I hear that fight song, I’ll twirl my arm for the O-N,” Wade said. “It’s a great place. But once that ball goes up, man, I’m all McNeese.”
The Cowboys offer balanced scoring, particularly in the backcourt. Massachusetts transfer Javohn Garcia (12.9 points per game), Saint Louis transfer Sincere Parker (12.1) and DJ Richards (10.1) all score in double figures. Christian Shumate (10.5) offers punch up front.
McNeese also plays aggressively on defense, averaging nine steals per game. Clemson coach Brad Brownell compares it to a Shaka Smart-coached team in terms of their pressure.
The winner advances to a second-round matchup Saturday against either No. 4 Purdue or No. 13 High Point.
