What is the farthest Clemson has gone in the NCAA Tournament?

We are 100 percent living in a simulation. I don't need facts to get in the way of very interesting fiction. All I know is that I have seen Alabama play Clemson a bunch in the postseason on the gridiron, so just wait for all that is to come out of their unprecedented Elite Eight matchup this weekend. The winner of this game will be going to the Final Four in Phoenix. Has Clemson ever gone this far?

Although Brad Brownell has been somewhat of an institution at Clemson, he has never gotten the Tigers this far in any of his team's three previous trips to the NCAA Tournament. Clemson made it to the Sweet 16 in 2018, but did not win a tournament game in 2011 or 2021.

The 2024 March Madness run is only the Tigers' 14th trip to the tournament to date. But how far have the Tigers gone in any NCAA Tournament?

Clemson basketball: How far have Tigers gone in an NCAA Tournament?

The 2024 NCAA Tournament ties the farthest the Clemson Tigers have gone in March Madness by making the Elite Eight. It first happened back in 1980, the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. Should the Tigers defeat the Crimson Tide in the 2024 Elite Eight, they will do something before even Alabama, who has a better basketball history, which is to get to the Final Four. Shockingly, Alabama has never played in a Final Four in its history either.

As it is with anything sports-related, any time a program can do something for the first time should be celebrated. While Alabama does have the better men's college basketball history, it is still a football school like Clemson. However, one thing that has worked against the Tigers for years is the conference they play in. The ACC has historically been a far better conference than the SEC has.

No matter who wins between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers, they will be up against it when taking on the traditional powers of Illinois and UConn. Although the Illini have not been to a Final Four in nearly two decades, the Huskies are the reigning national champions. Illinois is looking for its first national championship in the tournament era, while UConn is looking for its sixth ever since 1999...

Ultimately, we will be getting at least a few teams into the Final Four who have never been there before (Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee) or haven't been in a while (Illinois, North Carolina State, Purdue). Of course, Duke and UConn each have five national titles under their belts. It is why the Blue Devils and Huskies are among the very best programs this sport has seen. Could they get another?

All I know is either the Crimson Tide or the Tigers will be cutting down the nets for the first time ever!