Enough or not, the Clemson Tigers fell out of the Top 25 after its overtime loss to Penny Hardaway’s Memphis team on December 14. After a loss to rival South Carolina, Clemson fell even further.
A week ago, Clemson (10-3 overall) had the most votes for the Top 25 with 87. Five teams now rank ahead of the Tigers for the top 25 this week. USA TODAY Sports Coaches Pollpublished Monday.
Unofficially, that puts Brad Brownell’s team at 31st in the standings. Maryland, Michigan, Drake, Arkansas and Georgia are teams that received more votes than the Tigers.
Clemson suffered back-to-back overtime losses to Memphis and South Carolina, but beat Wake Forest 73-62 in ACC play this weekend at Littlejohn Coliseum. Chase Hunter had 16 points to lead the Tigers to a 2-0 start in conference play, while Jake Heidbreder added 15.
The Tigers return to the field on New Year’s Day when they host the Stanford Cardinal at 4 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
The top three teams in the new coaches’ poll remained the same, with the Tennessee Volunteers (11-0) sitting at No. 1 for the third straight week. THE Auburn Tigers (11-1) remained at No. 2 with Iowa State (10-1) at No. 3. Duke (10-2) and freshman sensation Cooper Flagg moved up one spot to No. 4, as did Florida Alligators at n°5.
Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils remained the only ACC team ranked in the Top 25 in the coaches’ poll. Clemson was second closest, receiving 40 votes for the top 25.
Complete USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll, Top 25
Rank |
Team |
Save |
Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
Tennessee |
11-0 |
764 (20) |
2 |
Auburn |
11-1 |
746 (11) |
3 |
Iowa State |
10-1 |
706 |
4 |
Duke |
10-2 |
659 |
5 |
Florida |
12-0 |
649 |
6 |
Alabama |
10-2 |
620 |
7 |
Kansas |
9-2 |
531 |
8 |
Marquette |
11-2 |
529 |
9 |
Oregon |
11-1 |
484 |
10 |
Kentucky |
10-2 |
476 |
11 |
Oklahoma |
12-0 |
412 |
12 |
Houston |
8-3 |
406 |
13 |
Texas A&M |
10-2 |
405 |
14 |
UConn |
10-3 |
395 |
15 |
Gonzaga |
9-3 |
327 |
16 |
Ole Mademoiselle |
11-1 |
261 |
17 |
Cincinnati |
10-1 |
252 |
18 |
Michigan State |
10-2 |
233 |
19 |
Mississippi State |
11-1 |
196 |
20 |
San Diego State |
8-2 |
148 |
21 |
UCLA |
10-2 |
128 |
22 |
Illinois |
8-3 |
86 |
23 |
Baylor |
7-3 |
83 |
24 |
Saint John |
10-2 |
82 |
25 |
Purdue |
8-4 |
73 |
Abandoned schools
No. 21 Michigan; No. 22 Memphis; No. 24 Dayton;
Others receive votes
Maryland 65; Michigan 52; Drake 51; Arkansas 51; Georgia 42; Clemson 40; Dayton 28; Memphis 25; Pittsburgh 22; Utah State 14; TexasTech 9; Wisconsin 7; North Carolina 6; Missouri 6; West Virginia 5; Pennsylvania State 1;
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This article was originally published on Clemson Wire: Clemson’s slide continues in latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll rankings