View the best images from the Tigers’ 91-64 win over Charleston Southern at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Clemson Tigers’ men’s basketball team won its 2024-25 season opener, 91-64, over Charleston Southern Monday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers (1-0), fresh off a deep and unexpected NCAA Tournament run to the Elite Eight, got 17 points apiece from sixth-year Chase Hunter and Illinois State transfer Myles Foster in the victory.
Cincinnati Bearcats transfer forward Viktor Lahkin added 12 points to give the Tigers three players in double figures. Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery started and played 26 minutes, scoring six points on 3-of-5 shooting.
Senior forward Ian Schieffelin played a team-high 30 minutes and had eight points to go with nine rebounds and three assists.
Coach Brad Brownell began his 15th season at the helm in Clemson. With the recent retirement of longtime Virginia coach Tony Bennett, Brownell is now the second longest tenured coach in the ACC behind Leonard Hamilton of Florida State.
Clemson returns to Littlejohn Coliseum Friday night when the Tigers host the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ACC Network Extra/ESPN+.
Here are some of the best photos from the Tigers’ opening night victory over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers.
Chase Hunter and transfer Myles Foster lead the way for Clemson in the Tigers’ 2024-25 season opener.
Sixth-year senior Chase Hunter and Illinois State transfer Myles Foster both scored 17 points, and the Clemson Tigers men’s basketball team defeated Charleston Southern, 91-64, to win its 2024-25 season opener Monday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers (1-0) led 48-24 at halftime and finished the night shooting 49.2 percent from the field. Hunter, who returned to Clemson after forgoing the NBA draft, played 23 minutes and shot 6-of-9 from the field (3-for-3 from 3-point range) in the Tigers’ opening night dub.
Foster, a fifth-year senior who averaged 12.5 points per game in each of the past two seasons, scored 17 points over 17 minutes in his Clemson debut.
Some other new faces contributed to the Tigers’ success, as well.
Cincinnati Bearcats transfer Viktor Lahkin started and played 16 minutes, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Former Boston College guard Jaeden Zackery also started and played 26 minutes. He scored six points (3-5) in his first game in a Clemson uniform.
Senior forward and fan favorite Ian Schieffelin played a team-high 30 minutes and had eight points to go with nine rebounds.
For coach Brad Brownell, it marked the start of his 15th season at the helm in Clemson. He is the second longest-tenured coach in the ACC behind Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton (2002-present). Brownell led the Tigers to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Clemson returns to the court Friday night when the Tigers welcome St. Francis (PA) to Littlejohn Coliseum. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ACC Network Extra or ESPN+.
The Clemson Tigers placed outside the Top 25, same as with the preseason AP Top 25 poll last week. The Tigers garnered eight votes for Top 25 consideration in the coaches poll.
Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks took the No. 1 spot in the preseason poll, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 2. The two-time defending champion UConn Huskies were ranked No. 3, with the Houston Cougars No. 4 and Duke Blue Devils No. 5.
Duke and the No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels were the only ACC schools that were ranked in the Top 25. Behind Duke and UNC, Clemson’s eight votes for consideration were the most of any ACC school outside the Top 25.
The Tigers made the NCAA Tournament last season as a No. 6 seed and reeled off three straight wins against the No. 11 seed New Mexico Lobos, the No. 3 seed Baylor Bears and the No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980. Clemson fell, 89-82, to Alabama with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Coach Brad Brownell’s 2024-25 team returns sixth-year senior guard Chase Hunter and senior forward Ian Schieffelin, the ACC’s Most Improved Player from a season ago.
The Tigers open the season on Monday, Nov. 4 at Littlejohn Coliseum against Charleston Southern. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
Rank
School
Last Year’s Record
Points
1
Kansas
23-11
743 (15)
2
Alabama
25-12
718 (6)
3
Connecticut
37-3
717 (6)
4
Houston
32-5
698 (4)
5
Duke
27-9
625
6
Iowa State
29-8
591
7
Gonzaga
27-8
575
8
Baylor
24-11
545
9
Arizona
27-9
510
10
North Carolina
29-8
498
11
Auburn
27-8
465
12
Tennessee
27-9
437
13
Purdue
34-5
390
14
Creighton
25-10
342
15
Texas A&M
21-15
332
16
Arkansas
16-17
272
17
Marquette
27-10
268
18
Indiana
19-14
208
19
Texas
21-13
166
20
Cincinnati
22-15
163
21
Florida
24-12
130
22
UCLA
16-17
123
23
Kentucky
23-10
95
24
Illinois
29-9
87
25
Mississippi
20-12
66
Dropped Out:
No. 13 North Carolina State (26-15); No. 15 Clemson (24-12); No. 18 San Diego State (26-11); No. 20 Utah State (28-7); No. 22 Saint Mary’s (26-8); No. 23 South Carolina (26-8); No. 24 Washington State (25-10); No. 25 Texas Tech (23-11)
Others Receiving Votes:
Texas Tech (23-11) 60; Rutgers (15-17) 57; St. John’s (20-13) 42; Xavier (16-18) 26; Michigan State (20-15) 25; Brigham Young (23-11) 16; Oregon (24-12) 16; Kansas State (19-15) 11; Boise State (22-11) 9; Saint Mary’s (26-8) 9; Clemson (24-12) 8; Dayton (25-8) 7; Ohio State (22-14) 7; Maryland (16-17) 4; Grand Canyon (30-5) 3; Mississippi State (21-14) 2; Princeton (24-5) 2; San Diego State (26-11) 2; Virginia (23-11) 2; Wake Forest (21-14); Wisconsin (22-14)
The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The board for the 2024-25 season: Tobin Anderson, Iona; Adrian Autry, Syracuse; John Becker, Vermont; Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s; Jeff Boals, Ohio; Alvin Brooks, Lamar; Scott Drew, Baylor; Matt Driscoll, North Florida; Dan Earl, Chattanooga; Jonas Hayes, Georgia State; Alan Huss, High Point; Donte’ Jackson, Grambling; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; James Jones, Yale; Greg Kampe, Oakland; Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State; Greg McDermott, Creighton; Nick McDevitt, Middle Tennessee; Mike McGarvey, Lafayette; Niko Medved, Colorado State; Dan Monson, Eastern Washington; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Nate Oats, Alabama; Eric Olen, UC San Diego; Matt Painter, Purdue; Michael Schwartz, East Carolina; Patrick Sellers, Central Connecticut State; Zach Spiker, Drexel; Brett Tanner, Abilene Christian; Stan Waterman, Delaware State; Jeff Wulbrun, Denver.
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Check out where Clemson landed in the initial 2024-25 KenPom ratings, released Monday.
The Clemson Tigers are hoping to build off a historic season in 2023-24. Coach Brad Brownell’s squad made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed and reeled off three straight wins to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980. The Tigers fell 89-82 to the Alabama Crimson Tide with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
How far the Tigers can go after a deep NCAA Tournament run is anyone’s guess, but the 2024-25 Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings (KenPom) were released Monday.
Clemson landed at No. 24 with a net plus rating of +18.62. The Tigers are rated one spot ahead of John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks and one spot below the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Coach Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars topped the KenPom ratings at +29.45, followed by the Duke Blue Devils (+26.67) at No. 2 and the Auburn Tigers (+26.21) at No. 3.
Alabama (No. 4, +25.66) and the two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies (No. 5, +25.58) rounded out the top five. Aside from Duke and Clemson, the only other ACC team that cracked the Top 25 KenPom ratings were the North Carolina Tar Heels (+22.14) at No. 14.
KenPom explains their ratings this way:
“The purpose of this system is to show how strong a team would be if it played tonight, independent of injuries or emotional factors. Since nobody can see every team play all (or even most) of their games, this system is designed to give a snapshot of a team’s current level of play.”
Clemson opens the 2024-25 regular season Nov. 4 against Charleston Southern at 7 p.m. ET at Littlejohn Coliseum.
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Clemson is considered a top 40 college basketball team by AP poll voters.
The preseason AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll was released Monday, three weeks before the Clemson Tigers open the 2024-25 season against Charleston Southern at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson was unranked in the preseason AP poll but received nine votes for Top 25 consideration by the various sportswriters and broadcasters who make up the poll.
The Tigers’ nine votes were tied with three other teams, including the Boise State Broncos, who Clemson will face Nov. 17 in a marquee nonconference matchup pitting two teams that reached the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The Saint Louis Billikens and Providence Friars also received nine votes.
Outside the Top 25, a total of 13 teams received more votes than Clemson, meaning the Tigers are considered a top 40 team by the media members who make up the AP poll. Two of those teams were Wake Forest and Miami; the Demon Deacons with 37 votes and the Hurricanes with 11.
The Kansas Jayhawks were ranked preseason No. 1 in the AP poll, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 2 and two-time defending national champion UConn at No. 3. The Houston Cougars (No. 4) and Iowa State Cyclones (No. 5) rounded out the top five.
The ACC had just two teams ranked in the preseason poll: the Duke Blue Devils at No. 7 and North Carolina Tar Heels at No. 9.
Clemson made the NCAA Tournament last season as a No. 6 seed and reeled off three straight wins (against New Mexico, the Baylor Bears and Arizona Wildcats) to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980. The Tigers fell 89-82 to Alabama with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
This season, coach Brad Brownell’s team returns sixth-year senior guard Chase Hunter and senior forward Ian Schieffelin, the ACC’s Most Improved Player from a season ago.
Clemson and Charleston Southern are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Nov. 4 in the regular season opener.
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As Clemson’s 2024-25 season approaches, Brad Brownell is focused on integrating new players and meeting heightened expectations. After a shorter-than-usual offseason, the Tigers are back with a recharged lineup and a renewed sense of purpose.
Brownell made strategic moves in the transfer portal, adding talents like Jaeden Zackery, Christian Reeves, Myles Foster, and Viktor Lakhin. These fresh faces will join a team still energized by last season’s Elite Eight run. But this year, Brownell is leaning on veterans Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin to lead, setting a standard for the new arrivals and helping the team push even further.
Both Hunter and Schieffelin expressed their commitment to building on last year’s success, describing this season as another chance to make history. Brownell has challenged them to become vocal leaders, guiding their teammates both on and off the court. “It’s all about player-driven leadership,” Brownell explained. “If we’re constantly relying on coaches to push through challenges, it’s easy to get off track. We need our players to be the ones keeping each other focused.”
He emphasized the significance of building a strong team dynamic, saying that the support from Hunter and Schieffelin can help maintain the positive momentum. “When we hit tough stretches, it’s up to the players to stay resilient. If they step up and lead, we’ll be in good shape. But if they don’t, those challenges could linger.”
As the season kicks off, Brownell’s hope is that this team can overcome adversity through strong player leadership and continue to build on Clemson’s recent success.
Here’s when Clemson will take on South Carolina in the annual matchup between the Tigers and Gamecocks on the hardwood.
Tipoff time and TV information for the Clemson Tigers’ annual men’s basketball contest with the rival South Carolina Gamecocks was announced on Friday.
The Tigers and Gamecocks’ Dec. 17 matchup in Columbia will be a 7 p.m. ET tipoff. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
Clemson won last year’s meeting, 72-67, on Dec. 6 at Littlejohn Coliseum. That was part of a 9-0 start to the 2023-24 season that saw the Tigers climb to No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Brad Brownell’s team went on to finish the season 24-12 and made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. The Tigers then defeated No. 11 seed New Mexico, No. 3 seed Baylor, and No. 2 seed Arizona to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980.
South Carolina went 26-8 last season and also made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. The Gamecocks fell 87-73 in a first-round loss to the Oregon Ducks in the Midwest Region in Pittsburgh.
Clemson has won five of the last seven meetings in the series against South Carolina dating back to 2016.
Our game time at South Carolina on Tuesday, Dec. 17 has been set for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network! https://t.co/Iph33ZzShb
The 2024-25 season will be Brownell’s 15th as head coach of the Tigers. Clemson opens the regular season at Littlejohn Coliseum against Charleston Southern on Nov. 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
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The Tigers have nonconference matchups this year against the Kentucky Wildcats, Memphis Tigers and Boise State Broncos, plus their annual rivalry with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
On Friday, tipoff time and TV information for Clemson’s Nov. 17 matchup at Boise State was announced. The Tigers and Broncos will get underway at 1:30 p.m. ET from ExtraMile Arena in Boise. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Boise State finished third in the Mountain West standings a year ago at 22-11 overall and 13-5 in conference play. The Broncos reached the “First Four” round of the NCAA Tournament in Dayton, Ohio, but fell 60-53 to the Colorado Buffaloes.
Clemson is coming off its deepest NCAA Tournament run since 1980, reaching the Elite Eight after knocking off New Mexico, followed by the No. 3 seed Baylor Bears and No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats. With a trip to the Final Four on the line, the Tigers fell 89-82 to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Elite Eight in Los Angeles.
Brownell is beginning his 15th season as Clemson’s head coach. The Tigers will open the 2024-25 season against Charleston Southern on Nov. 4 at Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson returns six scholarship players from a season ago, including sixth-year senior guard Chase Hunter and forward/center Ian Schieffelin.
Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell landed another big recruit from the class of 2025 Sunday.
Brad Brownell and the Clemson Tigers men’s basketball team picked up a verbal pledge Sunday from class of 2025 power forward Chase Thompson.
Listed as 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, Thompson committed to Clemson from Alexandria Area High School in Minnesota over offers from West Virginia and two schools closer to his Midwest home: Iowa and DePaul.
Rivals.com rates Thompson as a four-star player and includes him at No. 94 in their Top 100 national prospects list for the 2025 class. He is rated the No. 13 overall power forward in the class.
Thompson announced the news of his commitment in a social media post to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday.
Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell landed a major recruit from the class of 2025 Thursday.
Clemson basketball and coach Brad Brownell have secured a major commitment from the class of 2025.
The Tigers landed four-star recruit Zac Foster, an Atlanta (Ga.) combo guard who announced his commitment to Clemson over ACC rival Virginia Tech on Thursday. Foster is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 12 combo guard in the nation and the No. 8 overall player from the state of Georgia in the 2025 recruiting class.
He is ranked the No. 69 player in the class overall by 247Sports.
With his commitment, Foster becomes the second player from the class of 2025 to pledge to Clemson. In May, three-star center Trent Steinour (Lake Norman High School, Mooresville, N.C.) committed to Clemson over interest from Georgia, Penn State and others.
The Atlanta area has been a popular spot for Clemson basketball players, particularly in recent years. Brothers Chase Hunter and Dillon Hunter are from the Atlanta area, as are forwards Ian Schieffelin and Chauncey Wiggins.
“It was just the coaching staff, they were just heavily invested in me. Coach Brownell told me step-by-step the plan for me when I get there, and it just aligned with everything I wanted to do for college. So, it was just the perfect fit for me.
“[Brownell] just said when I step on campus, I think he’s gonna get me bigger and stronger, and all the things I need to develop. He said he’s going to be in the gym with me, just all the things I need. The teammates were great, the atmosphere, it just gave me that homey vibe.”
Clemson is coming off its best season under Brownell after reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history — and the first time 1980.
After beating No. 11 seed New Mexico to open the tournament last March, the Tigers followed with upset wins over No. 3 seed Baylor and No. 2 seed Arizona to reach the Elite Eight, where they fell to Alabama, 89-82, in a competitive, 40-minute battle.
The Tigers will open the 2024-25 season at Littlejohn Coliseum against Charleston Southern on Monday, Nov. 4.
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