SOUTH CAROLINA - The field of 64 teams will tip off the 2025 NCAA tournament Thursday afternoon. The Palmetto state is represented by a pair of universities from the upstate this year. The number five seed Clemson Tigers and the number fifteen seed Wofford Terriers.

For Clemson, the expectations couldn't be higher. A year ago, the sixth-seeded Tigers made it all the way to the Western Regional final. A loss to Alabama kept them from making it to the national semis. Senior forward Ian Schieffelin has been communicating to his teammates the desire to take the next step this time around.

“You know, bringing in these new guys and telling them how much fun it is to be going on this run, and you know trying to get back to that spot.” said Schieffelin "We know what it takes to get back there, and we're going to take it one game at a time," said Schieffelin.

Wofford comes in with much lower expectations. The Terriers were seeded sixth in the Southern Conference Tournament and needed a win over rival Furman to punch their ticket to the dance. That makes this experience so much more special, especially for a mid-major.

"We are really excited to be here," said head coach Dwight Perry. "We are excited to be able to play in a great venue, that is Rupp Arena. I know our guys are excited to be representing the SoCon and Wofford College. Anytime you get a chance to be part of a great event like the NCAA Tournament, that's truly a blessing."

While Clemson is favored to win their game, history has been iffy for teams in the 5 vs 12 matchup. As for the Terriers, they plan on just playing their game.

"Go out with confidence," said Kyler Filewich on the matchup with No. 2 Tennessee. "We have a chip on our shoulder, being the lower seed, but we know what we're capable of. It's a phenomenal team over there, but we have to come out and not think about that - do our job, play hard, play together and play tough."