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Who Clemson men’s basketball will face in the 2026 NCAA Tournament

· Yahoo Sports

Clemson men’s basketball learned its postseason destination on Sunday night at Littlejohn Coliseum, as the Tigers officially punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament once again.

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Brad Brownell’s team earned the No. 8 seed in the South Region and will face No. 9 seed Iowa in the opening round on Friday in Tampa, Florida. Game time and television details are expected to be announced soon.

The winner of the Clemson–Iowa matchup will advance to face either No. 1 seed Florida or the winner of a First Four play-in game in the round of 32.

Clemson enters the tournament with a 24-10 record and continues a steady run of postseason success for the program. This marks the third straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the Tigers, just the third time in school history Clemson has reached the Big Dance in three consecutive seasons. The previous streaks came under Rick Barnes from 1996-98 and Oliver Purnell from 2008-10.

The selection also adds another milestone for Brownell, who will now lead Clemson to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time during his tenure. That is the most NCAA Tournament appearances by any head coach in program history. The Tigers have now reached the tournament five times since the 2018 season.

Overall, Clemson will be making its 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers hold a 14-15 all-time record in tournament play and have experienced several memorable runs in recent years, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2018 and an Elite Eight run in 2024.

Clemson’s opponent, Iowa, enters the matchup with a 21-12 record after earning an at-large bid out of the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes struggled late in the season, dropping seven of their final ten games, but still rank No. 25 nationally in KenPom’s efficiency ratings. Iowa features a balanced attack, highlighted by guard Bennett Stirtz, who leads the team with an average of 20 points per game.

From a metrics standpoint, Clemson’s resume positioned the Tigers comfortably inside the tournament field. The Tigers carry a NET ranking of 34 entering the tournament and were competitive against high-level competition throughout the season. Clemson posted a 6-6 record in Quad 1 matchups and went 7-4 against Quad 2 teams. The Tigers also took care of business against lower-tier opponents, finishing a perfect 11-0 against Quad 3 and Quad 4 competition.

Defensively, Clemson has been one of the more consistent teams in the country this season. According to KenPom, the Tigers entered the tournament ranked No. 36 overall, powered by the nation’s No. 20 defense.

Now Clemson turns its focus to Iowa as the Tigers prepare for another opportunity to make noise in March. A win on Friday would send Clemson to the second round for a chance to challenge the top seed in the region.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Who Clemson basketball will face, 2026 NCAA Tournament information

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