New Mexico
Clemson basketball vs New Mexico in March Madness: Prediction for 2024 NCAA Tournament opener
CLEMSON — Clemson basketball has made the NCAA tournament for the 14th time in program history and enters March Madness this season as a No. 6 seed in the West and will battle No. 11 New Mexico on Friday in Memphis at FedEx Forum.
The Tigers (21-11) have lost three out of their past four games and are coming off a one-and-done appearance in the ACC tournament, where Boston College crushed them 76-55 in Washington, D.C.
“We looked a half-step slow and lacked urgency,” coach Brad Brownell said. “We haven’t been behind a lot this year, we probably panicked a little bit, and we just had a hard time.”
Meanwhile, the Lobos (26-9) are on a four-game winning streak and won the Mountain West tournament Saturday.
Here are three things to know and a score prediction for this first-round matchup:
Clemson basketball is coming off its worst loss of the season
The Tigers’ 55 points against Boston College in the ACC tournament tied for the fewest points they scored this season — the other game was Jan. 6 against North Carolina. They shot 35.2% from the field — their worst field-goal percentage this season — and the Eagles outrebounded them 43-27 and made six more 3-pointers.
“(Wednesday) was an oddity. I think we’ve played better basketball than this [on] most other nights,” Brownell said. ” . . . We’ve got to fine-tune some things heading into NCAA tournament play.”
Rebounding will be an emphasis. Clemson entered the game tied for fifth in the ACC in average rebounds per game (36.4) and had the fourth-best rebounding margin (3.2). Yet it had 11 fewer defensive rebounds and five fewer offensive rebounds than Boston College.
Another will be scoring, as PJ Hall and Joseph Girard III were the only Tigers players to score in double digits.
Can Chase Hunter rebound after his worst shooting game of the season?
The Tigers needed Hunter to step up alongside Hall and Girard in the scoring department Wednesday, but he could not be found. He scored two points, was 0-for-10 from the field, 0-for-5 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. It was his worst shooting night of the season, and it came at the most inopportune time.
“Certainly, that’s hard when one of your good players like that has a tough night,” Brownell said. “It affects our team offensively.”
Hunter is Clemson’s third-leading scorer, and it will need his production if the team wants to have a sustained run in the NCAA tournament.
MORE: Clemson basketball’s March Madness opponent is New Mexico to open 2024 NCAA Tournament
What makes the New Mexico Lobos a tough out?
The Lobos have the highest scoring offense in the Mountain West, averaging 81.7 points per game. They have four players who average double-digit scoring — Donovan Dent, Jaelen House, Jamal Mashburn, JT Toppin. The Lobos’ scoring is complemented by their ability to protect the basketball, averaging 9.9 turnovers, which is the lowest in the Mountain West.
New Mexico also is stout defensively, ranking first in the conference in blocks (five) and steals average (8.8). House leads the conference in total steals (70), and Toppin leads in total blocks with 66.
Clemson vs. New Mexico prediction in March Madness first round
Clemson 77, New Mexico 72: The Tigers’ embarrassing loss to Boston College may have been a blessing in disguise, giving the team nine days of rest before their NCAA tournament game. Expect Clemson to bounce back and have a strong showing offensively to advance to the round of 32.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
Grant’s Monday Night Forecast
A few evaporating rain showers are possible again Tuesday with warmer temperatures. Windier weather later this week will bring a high fire danger back to New Mexico.
It’s been a warm day with a few isolated showers and thunderstorms across central and northern New Mexico. Some of that rain has made it to the ground, while other showers have evaporated before reaching the surface. Temperatures have climbed into the 70s and 80s for most of the state. Showers will fade after sunset, with mostly clear skies overnight and mild temperatures.
Even warmer weather is on the way Tuesday with lighter winds. More areas will reach the 80s by the afternoon. A few spotty showers will develop again, especially near the mountains, with some of that rain evaporating before reaching the ground.
Winds pick up Wednesday afternoon, with gusts between 25 and 45 mph. This will begin another stretch of high fire danger across the state. The strongest winds arrive Thursday, with westerly gusts of 35 to 55 mph. That will expand the fire danger statewide. A dry cold front will move through Thursday as well, but temperatures will only drop slightly, ending up closer to average.
Breezy conditions continue Friday through the weekend as the jet stream pulls more moisture into New Mexico. That will bring increasing chances for rain and thunderstorms this weekend, with a few lingering into early next week.
New Mexico
Landlord AC ordinance, Rio Grande water levels, Spotty rain, New legislative office, New Mexico Motorfest
Monday’s Top Stories
Monday’s Five Facts
[1] ABQ City Councilor aims to bolster protections for renters amid unseasonable warmth – Albuquerque city councilor is looking to make sure city landlords are not only providing cooling systems, but also ensuring they actually work when they’re needed. City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn spearheaded an ordinance in December of 2024, requiring all Albuquerque rental properties to have a cooling system. Now, Fiebelkorn is taking it a step further, hoping to establish cooling system performance requirements. The ordinance is expected to be voted on in final action at Monday’s city council meeting.
[2] Rio Grande showing dry spots in Valencia County amid record-low snowpack – Portions of the Rio Grande are now seeing dry spots earlier than expected. Officials say the timing is not normal. In Valencia County, parts of the river are already running dry. Near the river crossing in Los Lunas, the river has open pockets. Further south, it is being reported as dry as well. There is a slight positive outlook for the monsoon season, with forecasters and officials predicting a strong season in the Middle Rio Grande Valley.
[3] Very spotty rainfall, warmer, & mostly calm week – Warmer weather will continue building in across the state throughout the upcoming week. A few isolated rain chances will return Monday in parts of New Mexico, but some of that rain may evaporate before reaching the ground. Temperatures will continue to increase through the middle of the week.
[4] NM representatives celebrate grand opening of new office with open house – A new state legislative office made its debut for representatives Eleanor Chavez and Yanira Gurrola. The new location is just one of the handful of new legislative offices now open across the state. They hosted a grand opening for the building that was open to the public. Representative Gurrola says it’s just one step towards modernizing the state’s legislature. The new office will allow residents to stay more connected to each representative.
[5] New Mexico Motorfest 2026 takes place in celebration of Route 66 Centennial – Another Route 66 celebration took place over the weekend and this one was all about cars. The New Mexico Motorfest happened at the Expo New Mexico racetrack. Over 300 vehicles from classic hot rods to lifted trucks were featured at the event. Some of the proceeds went to New Mexico veterans.
New Mexico
Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
Students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School, and Los Alamos High School at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. Photo CourtesyLAPS
LAHS junior Tate Plohr and freshman Linus Plohr qualified to attend the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix, Ariz. Photo Courtesy LAPS
Los Alamos Middle School student Branden Keller was awarded the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair. Photo Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Twenty students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Los Alamos High School (LAHS) competed, with several garnering awards at the 2026 New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.
LAHS junior Tate Plohr qualified to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) next month in Phoenix, Ariz. He was awarded the 3rd-place Grand Award. Freshman Linus Plohr qualified as an alternate and will also be attending the Regeneron ISEF.
Students who participated in the state competition include, from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Sydney Chen, Mary Beth Kelsey, Lily Neale, Aurora Roberts Voss and Henry Rodarte; and Glyn Lo and Ernest Maupin, Mountain Elementary.
Students from LAMS who competed include Evelyn Fobes, Mason Garcia, Andrew Gilbertson, James Junghans, Sequoya Ke, Brandon Keller, Nejan Liyanage and Daniel Yampolsky.
LAHS students Julia Neale, Linus Plohr, Tate Plohr, Lilia Veteva, Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch competed at the senior level.
2026 Award winners:
Category Awards – Junior Division
- Animal Science, Cellular & Molecular
- Biomedical & Health Science
- Honorable Mention: Sequoya Ke
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, Software & Technology
- 2nd place: Nejan Liyanage
- Physics & Astronomy
- 1st place: Sydney Chen
- 2nd place: Mason Garcia
- Honorable Mention: Marybeth Kelsey
- Plant Science
Category Awards – Senior Division
- Behavioral & Social Science:
- Honorable Mention: Linus Plohr
- Earth & Environmental
- Honorable Mention: Lilia Viteva
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, & System Software
- 3rd Place: Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch
- Physics & Astronomy
Grand Awards
- ISEF finalist 3rd place: Tate Plohr
- Brandon Keller received the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. James Jungans and Marybeth Kelsey garnered Thermo Fisher Awards.
Other special award winners include:
- CO2 & Greenhouse Reduction Awards (Junior Division)
- Daniel Yampolsky, 2nd place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Sequoya Ke, 1st place, Biomedical & Health Science
- Brandon Keller, 1st place, Energy & Materials Science
- Andrew Gilbertson, 1st place, Physics & Astronomy
- CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Reduction Award (Senior Division)
- Lilia Viteva, 1st place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Office of Naval Research Award
- David Shortess Award
- New Mexico AVS Award
- Citadel Award
- Naval Research Award
- NM Network for Women in Science & Engineering Award
- Yale Science & Engineering Award
- Rose Baca Rivet Award
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