In doing so, the Tigers narrowly avoided going one and done in back-to-back ACC Tournaments after getting routed by Boston College in their opener last year. They also kept their chances of a league title and a top 4 NCAA Tournament seed alive.

Third-seeded Clemson took a shaky first step in pursuit of its first Atlantic Coast Conference title as Chase Hunter scored 21 points in a 57-54 quarterfinal victory over sixth-seeded SMU on Thursday in Charlotte,

Here's a look at how Clemson basketball's win vs SMU in the ACC tournament could affect its March Madness bracket predictions.

Social media reaction to Brad Brownell and the Clemson Tigers scraping by SMU in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.

The sixth-seeded Mustangs proved they deserve a spot in the tournament’s third day, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with Clemson.

The Tigers will have a huge matchup advantage tonight, and as a result, our SMU vs. Clemson predictions expect them to cover this 7-point spread.

Chase Hunter carried the Clemson Tigers on his back in a second-half comeback against SMU in the ACC Tournament Thursday night in Charlotte.

In the first half, neither team was able to put together an extended run, though Clemson never trailed after Schieffelin’s jumper 32 seconds into the contest. Hunter gave the Tigers a 22-14 lead on a left-wing three-pointer, the 198th of his career, with 6:00 to play in the frame, and followed it with a big blocked shot at the other end.

Chase Hunter took over in the final minutes to lift Clemson past SMU on Thursday. The Tigers (27-5) won 57-54 and will face Louisville next.