Throw the seed lines out the window for this one. In fact, if you follow KenPom.com’s efficiency ranks, the better team is the lower seed, as New Mexico holds the 23rd spot there while Clemson checks in at 34th.
Both ends of the floor favor the Lobos, too. Their 23rd-ranked defense is more than equipped to take on the Tigers’ 27th-ranked offense, while New Mexico’s own 41st-ranked attack could make life miserable for Clemson’s 65th-ranked defense.
Four different Lobos average between 12.5 and 16.1 points, led by senior guards Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. House, the high man in points, does a little of everything (3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals), while Mashburn, son of the former NBA All-Star, fittingly plays a throwback game built around mid-range scoring. Freshman forward J.T. Toppin, the team’s top NBA prospect, averages 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 26.4 minutes while shooting 63 percent from the field.
Clemson, meanwhile, seems ripe for an upset after losing three of its final four games—all against non-tournament teams, the last of which was decided by 21 points.
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