With just over a minute left on Saturday, it looked like No. 16 Clemson was poised to secure another gritty win.
The Tigers had clawed their way back from behind for most of the game, and Chase Hunter’s clutch three-pointer with 1:04 to play put them ahead by five. But Memphis responded with big-time plays to force overtime, and Clemson couldn’t capitalize on key moments, falling 87-82 at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Hunter had a chance to seal the game in regulation with the score tied at 72. Dribbling near center court, he waited too long to make his move, leaving just four seconds to attack the basket. Forced into a deep three-pointer as time expired, the shot fell short.
“I should have driven to the rim and tried to draw a foul or get a better look,” Hunter admitted. “That was on me.”
In overtime, Hunter had another opportunity with Clemson trailing 85-82. He opted for a quick three-pointer rather than attacking the rim for a layup to extend the game. It didn’t fall, and Clemson’s hopes were dashed.
Hunter finished with 17 points but acknowledged costly mistakes in the game’s closing minutes, including a turnover after his late three-pointer. “I celebrated too much and lost focus,” he said. “I have to be better as a senior leader.”
The Tigers (9-2) now turn their attention to a rivalry showdown at South Carolina on Tuesday (7 p.m., SECN)
Clemson falls to Memphis in overtime to snap a six-game winning streak.
The Clemson Tigers‘ fell 87-82 to the Memphis Tigers Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum, snapping a six-game winning streak.
Early on, the Tigers’ “basketball for brunch” felt more like a hangover. Clemson (9-2 overall) fell behind 10-0 to start the game and went almost the first six minutes without a basket.
By contrast, Memphis got a blistering start from Colby Rogers, who opened 5-for-5 and gave his Tigers a 27-20 lead with 5:30 to play in the first half after scoring eight straight points.
Clemson took its first lead with 1:50 to go in the half on a 3-pointer from Ian Schieffelin for a 29-28 lead. A big turning point occurred just before halftime. With 6.3 seconds left on the clock, Jaeden Zackery tried to inbound the ball but his pass from the baseline was picked off by Tyrese Hunter, who raced up the floor and drained an open 3-pointer for a 33-32 Memphis lead at intermission.
Memphis (8-2) started the second half on a 7-0 run capped by another trey from Hunter that forced Brad Brownell to take a full timeout as Memphis went ahead 40-32.
Penny Hardaway’s Tigers led 59-51 near the under-8 timeout after a 3-pointer from Nicholas Jourdain as part of a 14-8 run.
Clemson made its own run afterwards, an 11-0 spurt that included a pair of Chase Hunter jump shots, a 3-pointer from Dillon Hunter, and two layups from Viktor Lakhin.
Clemson took its biggest lead when Schieffelin made a layup with 2:22 to play to go up 69-63. But Memphis refused to go away and after Jourdain made a steal, Tyrese Hunter found Dain Dainja for a game-tying layup with 20 seconds left in the second half.
That sent the game into overtime at 72-72 after Chase Hunter missed a 3-pointer at the end of regulation.
Two big 3-pointers by Tyrese Hunter gave Memphis an 83-81 lead with 58 seconds to play in overtime. Dainja sank two foul shots with 15.3 seconds left to put Memphis up 85-82.
Chase Hunter missed a 3-pointer that would have tied it with 10 seconds left to send Memphis to the free-throw line to ice the game.
Memphis’ Hunter had 23 points, followed by Rogers with 22. Lakhin led Clemson with 23 points, and Schieffelin and Chase Hunter both added 17 points apiece.
Memphis shot 52 percent from the field (31-of-60) while Clemson made 45 percent of its shots (30-of-67). Brownell’s Tigers were 10-of-31 (32 percent) from behind the arc; Memphis was 12-of-25 (48 percent).
Clemson basketball schedule 2024-25
Clemson will head to Columbia for their annual matchup with South Carolina (6-3) on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
Led by another double-double from senior Ian Schieffelin (13 points, 12 rebounds) and a game-high 18 points from senior Chase Hunter, Clemson overcame a slow start to defeat the Miami Hurricanes, 65-55, Saturday afternoon in the ACC opener for both teams at Watsco Center in Coral Gables.
The Tigers improved to 9-1 overall and have a good chance of being ranked in the new Top 25 polls Monday.
Schieffelin had his fifth double-double of the season and second this week. Against Miami, he made Clemson’s first points of the afternoon with a 3-point basket after the Tigers and Hurricanes (3-6) both began the game scoreless for the first three and a half minutes.
A few minutes later, Schieffelin sank another basket from behind the arc to stake the Tigers to a 9-1 lead and force Miami (3-6) to use a timeout. Clemson would go up by 11 before the Hurricanes used a 19-6 run to take their first lead of the game.
Schieffelin made his third 3-pointer of the half with a little over three minutes to play until halftime, and Hunter made a steal and a layup to boost Clemson to a 25-24 lead at intermission.
Behind Hunter and Cincinnati Bearcats transfer Viktor Lahkin, the Tigers eventually pulled away in the second half. Lahkin hit two big 3-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor with around seven minutes to play to put Clemson ahead for good at 47-43.
The Tigers added a clutch 3-point basket from Dillon Hunter and a tip-in from Schieffelin to go up by five, 56-51, with 2:38 to play. Clemson put the game out of reach at the foul line, making eight of its last nine shots from the charity stripe.
Lahkin finished with 12 points, all of them coming in the second half. Twelve of Hunter’s 18 points came in the second half. He shot 7-of-19 from the field and was just 1-of-7 from downtown.
The Tigers shot 40 percent and got off 27 threes, connecting on nine. Clemson’s first 12 points in the game came from behind the arc.
Jalil Bethea, a consensus five-star prospect out of Pennsylvania who chose Miami over Alabama, Villanova, Syracuse and others, led the Canes with 12 points.
Clemson schedule 2024
Clemson will take on Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers (7-1) a week from Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
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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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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With less than a month until the start of the regular season, here’s where this college basketball expert projects Clemson to finish in the ACC standings.
Earlier this week, CBS Sports college basketball expert Gary Parrish made his ACC predictions for the season ahead. To no real surprise, Parrish projects Duke and freshman phenom Cooper Flagg to finish first in the ACC with North Carolina second.
Parrish forecasts Clemson to finish fourth in the ACC behind Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest.
Per Parrish’s projections:
“Whereas Wake Forest benefitted from its best player (Hunter Sallis) withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to school, Clemson was not as fortunate. PJ Hall remained in — only to go undrafted. It was a good development for neither him nor the Tigers, who are coming off of just the second trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in program history. Still, Clemson should be back in the NCAA Tournament this season thanks to the return of Chase Hunter, a 6-4 guard who averaged 12.9 points and 3.2 assists last season. This will actually be his sixth year at Clemson, meaning Hunter will soon be one of the few student-athletes in history to appear in six different seasons for the same school.”
Coach Brad Brownell’s team finished tied for fifth in the final ACC regular-season standings at 11-9 in conference play. They made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed.
The Tigers then reeled off three straight wins against New Mexico, No. 3 seed Baylor and No. 2 seed Arizona before falling 89-82 to Alabama in the Elite Eight in Los Angeles.
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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Clemson guard Chase Hunter has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return for a sixth and final season with the Tigers.
Clemson guard Chase Hunter will forego the NBA Draft and return to Clemson.
The Tigers’ star announced in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Wednesday that he had withdrawn from the 2024 NBA Draft to return for a sixth and final season under coach Brad Brownell.
Wednesday marked the deadline for college players to withdraw from the NBA Draft.
Brownell had said earlier this month that he was optimistic about Hunter possibly returning for a sixth season with the Tigers.
“He worked out for an NBA team this week,” Brownell said back on May 9. “I’m excited for him to be able to do some of those things. I was so happy to watch him play at the level that he did in the NCAA Tournament. He was tremendous.”
An Atlanta native, Hunter started all 36 games for the Tigers a season ago. He averaged 12.9 points per game to go with 3.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds. He shot 42.4 percent from the field.
Hunter made a national name for himself in the NCAA Tournament. He scored a season-high 21 points in the Tigers’ first-round victory over New Mexico before posting 20 in the team’s upset of No. 3 seed Baylor in the second round.
Hunter added 18 points in Clemson’s upset of No. 2 seed Arizona to help the program to its first Elite Eight appearance since 1980.
In the Tigers’ four NCAA Tournament games, Hunter averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds.
Brad Brownell on the possibility of Chase Hunter returning for another season.
Could Clemson men’s basketball star Chase Hunter return to Clemson for one more season?
While Hunter has declared for the 2024 NBA draft, according to head coach Brad Brownell, he is ‘optimistic’ Hunter will return for one more season. Even with his name in the mix for the draft, he has retained his eligibility for one more season.
“I’m optimistic Chase will come back. He worked out for an NBA team this week,” Brownell said. “I’m excited for him to be able to do some of those things, I was so happy to watch him play at the level that he did in the NCAA Tournament. He was tremendous.”
Hunter was phenomenal for the Tigers this past season, especially in the tournament as they made their run to the Elite 8. He earned West All-Region Team honors as the Tigers’ clear top performer in March Madness. During the regular season, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 0.5 steals per game, while adding in 0.3 blocks per game.
Fans hope he opts to stay for another run with the program.
