News & Notes on the Tournament

Clemson has a 12-48 record in the ACC Tournament with just one appearance in the finals (1962) and no tournament championships. Clemson is the only original member of the ACC that has never won the ACC Tournament.

While Clemson has struggled in the ACC Tournament over the years, the Tigers won five games in the 1990s. Clemson was 5-10 in the 1990s, 1-10 in the 1980s, 3-10 in the 1970s, 3-10 in the 1960s and 0-6 in the 1950s. Clemson is 1-2 in the 21st century.

Clemson has won its opening round game of the tournament five of the last nine years. Clemson won last year in the 8 vs. 9 game, 66-64 over Florida State. The Tigers last win in the quarterfinals in the ACC Tournament took place in Greensboro in 1998, a 75-56 victory over Wake Forest. Clemson trailed by eight at intermission in that game.

Clemson has a 3-9 record in Charlotte in the ACC Tournament. One of the victories was a stunning 87-75 win over Florida State in the 1993 event. Florida State was seeded second and Clemson seventh. The Seminoles were ranked 10th by AP and 12th USA Today and Clemson had lost 27 straight ACC Tournament games as a lower seed. Florida State went on to the NCAA Regional finals that year.

Clemson's most exciting victory in recent years took place in the 1996 tournament when Clemson downed North Carolina, 75-73. It is Clemson's only win over North Carolina in the ACC Tournament and it was Clemson's first win over the Tar Heels in the state in 29 years. Greg Buckner's dunk with 0.6 seconds left won the game for Clemson.

Clemson is 3-13 in Raleigh, 3-9 in Charlotte, 5-19 in Greensboro, 1-4 in Atlanta and 1-3 in Landover, MD over the years in ACC Tournament play.

Clemson has a record of 2-3 in the first round, 10-35 in the quarterfinals, 1-9 in the semifinals and 0-1 in the finals for an overall 13-48 record in ACC tournament play.

Clemson has been seeded in the top four of the ACC Tournament just 11 times in the 48 tournaments. Clemson is 6-11 as a top four seed. The year Clemson reached the finals of the event (1962), Clemson was seeded sixth. Clemson has been the number-one seed just once, 1990, the only year Clemson has won the regular season of the ACC.

Clemson has reached the tournament semifinals 10 times, including four times in the 1990s (1990, 1993, 1996 and 1998). Clemson did not reach the semifinals any year between 1981-89.

Clemson has been to the ACC Tournament Championship game just once, in 1962. That year, Clemson was seeded sixth in the tournament in Raleigh and upset #3 NC State and #2 Duke before losing to #1 seed Wake Forest, who was led by point guard Billy Packer. Jim Brennan scored 34 points in Clemson's semifinal victory over Duke in 1962. Now a resident of Charlotte, Brennan will be on hand as Clemson's honored legend at the festivities this year.

Clemson's only postseason tournament championship in history took place in 1939 when the Tigers won four games in four days at the Southern Conference Tournament in Raleigh. The Tigers defeated North Carolina, Wake Forest, Davidson and Maryland to win the event. Clemson did not lead at the half in any of those games. Banks McFadden was the star of the Clemson team. Clemson came close to a championship under Larry Shyatt at the 1999 NIT when the Tigers lost in the finals to California, 61-60.