Street & Smith, Basketball Times Rank Clemson in Top 25

Nov. 9, 2007

Two preseason publications have ranked Clemson as a top 25 team in their preseason publications. Oliver Purnell’s Tigers are ranked 12th in Basketball Times, while longtime publication Street & Smith has the Tigers rated 22nd. This is the first time Clemson has been ranked in any preseason top 25 since the 1998-99 season.

Clemson is close to the top 25 in some other polls. Clemson is 29th in total poll points in the USA Today preseason poll and 30th by the USA Today Coaches poll. The last time Clemson was ranked in the top 25 in the preseason in either of the major polls was 1997-98. That year Clemson was ranked fifth by AP and seventh by USA Today in the preseason. The only other year Clemson was in the top 25 during the preseason in either major poll was 1996-97 when Clemson was 20th by AP and 17th by USA Today. Clemson reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament that year.

In this year’s preseason poll, three ACC teams are ranked ahead of Clemson in USA Today and AP. North Carolina is ranked number-one in both polls, while Duke is 11th in USA Today and 13th by AP. NC State is ranked 21st by AP and 24th by USA Today. That means Clemson is the highest ranked ACC school outside the North Carolina Triangle.

Basketball Times Preseason Fabulous 15Rk. School – Conference 1. Memphis – Conference USA 2. UCLA – Pac 10 3. Kansas – Big 12 4. North Carolina – ACC 5. Georgetown – Big East 6. Tennessee – SEC 7. Louisville – Big East 8. Texas A&M – Big 12 9. Indiana – Big 10 10. Michigan State – Big 10 11. Duke – ACC12. Clemson – ACC 13. NC State – ACC 14. Washington State – Pac 10 15. Arkansas – SEC