Did Clemson make the 2023 NCAA Tournament? Qualifying status and more revealed

The Clemson Tigers had a record-setting 23-10 season; however, they won't be making it to the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

They will instead be playing as the No. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament. Clemson was fourth behind Oklahoma State, Rutgers and North Carolina among teams that didn't make the 68-team field for this year's edition of March Madness.

Clemson's last appearance at the NCAA Tournament was in 2021. They qualified for it four times in 13 seasons under Brad Brownell, who led them in three NITs before this year's edition.

The Tigers became the first team since the 1999-2000 Virginia Cavaliers to earn a top-three Atlantic Coast Conference tournament seed and still miss March Madness. Clemson was considered among the bubble teams like Pittsburgh, Mississippi State, Arizona State and Nevada, who made it to the First Four. The winners will advance as No. 11 seeds in their regions.

The Tigers' exclusion was surprising on many accounts. They recorded 14 wins in the ACC's regular season and had two of their players, Hunter Tyson and PJ Hall, on the all-conference teams.

The Tigers recorded three Quadrant 1 wins on the road or at a neutral venue and went a combined 7-6 in Quadrant 1 and 2 games. It was only the second time in 33 years that they had finished third in the ACC standings.

Why did Clemson miss out on making the 2023 NCAA Tournament?

The Clemson Tigers missed othe 2023 NCAA tournament due to their losses against Quadrant 3 and 4 teams. The strength of the schedule also impacted their selection process. The Tigers lost to South Carolina, Loyola Chicago, Boston College and Louisville. The losses to South Carolina and Chicago early in the season had huge implications regarding their NCAA Tournament berth.

The Tigers' weak nonconference schedule (ranked 334th out of 363 teams in strength of schedule) played a crucial role in missing the Big Dance. Iowa and Penn State were the only teams that ended up making March Madness among the nonconference teams the Tigers faced.

The Tigers finished with a 23-10 and a 14-6 record in the conference. However, as impressive as their wins were, their losses were equally worse.