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 (truTV, 3:10 p.m.) in Memphis, Tennessee, at FedExForum.

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.

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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

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson vs New Mexico prediction, March Madness, NCAA pick