Clemson basketball a 1-seed in 2023 NIT, will face Morehead State in tournament opener
Clemson basketball is back in the NIT.
The Tigers came up short in their bid for a berth into March Madness on Sunday, rejected by the NCAA Tournament selection committee despite a 23-10 record and third-place finish in the ACC.
Their consolation prize? A No. 1 seed and a Wednesday night home game against Morehead State in the first round of the 32-team National Invitation Tournament.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum, where the Tigers are 15-1 this season.
It will be the Tigers’ fourth participation in the NIT in Coach Brad Brownell’s 13 seasons, with previous trips coming in 2014, 2017 and 2019. Clemson advanced to the NIT semifinals in New York City in 2014, lost in the first round in 2017 and lost in the second round in 2019.
The Tigers (23-10, 14-6 ACC), who lost to Virginia in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Friday after a 26-point win against NC State in the quarterfinals, failed to make the 68-team NCAA Tournament field despite posting a school-record 14 ACC victories.
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Clemson finished third in the ACC after being picked for an 11th-place finish in the preseason poll.
But Clemson’s resume was weighed down by a NET ranking of 60, four combined losses against Quad 3 and Quad 4 teams and a nonconference strength of schedule that ranked 334th among 363 Division I teams.
Bracketologists Joe Lunardi of ESPN and Jerry Palm of CBS Sports both had Clemson on the outside of the tournament field heading into Selection Sunday.
The NIT’s first three rounds are hosted by the higher-seeded teams while the semifinals and finals are set for Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Semifinal games are March 28 and the championship game will be March 30.
Clemson is making its 17th appearance in the NIT and is 19-17 all-time in the event. The Tigers most recently played in the NIT in 2019, defeating Wright State 75-69 before losing to Wichita State 63-55.
Clemson has advanced to the NIT championship game twice, losing to California 61-60 in 1999 and losing to West Virginia 78-73 in the 2007 title game.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: In NIT, Clemson basketball to face Morehead State in tournament opener
