Brad Brownell analyzes Clemson's chances in ACC race

It’s been a rollercoaster season for the Clemson Tigers, but Brad Brownell and his team are still in the thick of the ACC.

Clemson is 19-7 on the season, and currently fourth in the ACC with a conference record of 11-4. Still, they’re just one game behind the lead, and just snapped their three game losing streak.

After a victory on Wednesday over Florida State, Brownell elaborated on how his team is still in the thick of things.

“We’re still in it. We’re right there,” started Brownell. “We might be a game out right now. But we’ve got to continue to play well and keep us in it. It’s what you want to be. You want to be playing meaningful games in March. That’s what this team has done. It’s kind of what I told them was part of my message this week. I put up a calendar from Richmond to Duke. We were 7-0. We worked really hard during that time. A lot of that time was during the break, when we were going two-a-days. I just kind of reminded our guys that the reason you’re still playing for special things right now was because of that five-week period, you guys — all you thought about was Clemson basketball. We really poured into it, and we had an incredible five weeks.

“As you get back to school and a lot of things happen and distractions of that, injuries and all kinds of things that can sidetrack you. During the season, you may get sidetracked for a week or two. It happens to a lot of teams, most teams. But if you’re still in a position to play for something special, but we need to have a good week. So we’ve started off with the first step in that, and now we’ve got to play well on Saturday.”

Alas, this weekend Clemson will face the embattled Louisville Cardinals, so it may not be a stretch to think this is a good weekend for the Tigers to get back on track. Bill Brownell believes his team can do it, and they may be hitting their stride at the perfect time with a victory.