We knew going into “Selection Sunday” that the state of South Carolina would have two teams in the tournament. What we didn’t know was who Clemson and Wofford would see when they got to the “Big Dance.”
It won’t be an easy dance card for either squad.
Clemson is the #5 seed in the Midwest Regional and will face McNeese State on Thursday in the first round from Providence, R.I. The Cowboys, winners of the Southland Conference championship, are led by former LSU head coach Will Wade and posted a 27-6 overall record. Three of those losses came to tournament teams: Alabama, Mississippi State, and Liberty. CBS analyst Seth Davis predicted Sunday that the Cowboys would upset the Tigers, while his colleague Clark Kellogg has Clemson advancing to the national championship game in San Antonio against Florida.
Meanwhile, the #15-seed Wofford Terriers hope to carry the momentum of winning a Southern Conference championship into their first-round matchup with 2nd-seeded Tennessee. The Volunteers lost the SEC championship game 86-77 to Florida on Sunday afternoon. That game will tip off on Thursday as well in Lexington, Kentucky.
The SEC received fourteen bids to this year’s NCAA tournament, while the Atlantic Coast Conference earned four. The Auburn Tigers are the overall number one seed.
The tournament begins Tuesday and Wednesday with play-in games featuring North Carolina versus San Diego State and Texas taking on Xavier.
