Tag: Clemson Tigers basketball

Clemson outside USA TODAY Sports preseason men’s basketball coaches poll

Clemson is considered a top 35-40 college basketball team by coaches.

With the start of the 2024-25 college basketball season only days away, Wednesday saw the unveiling of the preseason USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

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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ACC releases 2024-25 Clemson men’s basketball schedule

The ACC released the 2024-25 men’s basketball conference schedule on Tuesday. Here’s a look at who Clemson will play on what dates.

The 2024-25 Clemson men’s basketball season is just over a month away, with practices for teams in the ACC already underway.

Clemson and the rest of the ACC now have their league-wide schedule, released by the conference on Tuesday. That includes tipoff times and TV broadcast information for most games.

The Tigers will open conference play in Coral Gables against the Miami Hurricanes on Dec. 7 at Watsco Center in a nationally televised game on ESPN at noon ET.

After nonconference games against the Memphis Tigers (in Clemson) and South Carolina Gamecocks (in Columbia), Clemson will welcome Wake Forest to Littlejohn Coliseum two weeks later when ACC play resumes on Dec. 21. Clemson and Wake Forest will meet at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Coach Brad Brownell’s team will not head west to either Stanford or Cal this season, as both the Cardinal and Golden Bears will visit Clemson in those schools’ first year in the ACC. The Tigers will, however, visit SMU in late February for their first conference matchup with the Mustangs.

The ACC did Clemson no favors by scheduling back-to-back games against the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels in a quick turnaround. The Tigers will host Duke on Feb. 8 at Littlejohn, followed two nights later when North Carolina visits Clemson on Feb. 10. Both games will be televised by ESPN.

The Tigers will face three repeat opponents (at home and away): the Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Virginia Tech Hokies. Clemson will host Virginia Tech on March 8 in the Tigers’ regular season finale.

The 2025 ACC Tournament will return to Charlotte, with the league’s top 15 teams reaching the conference tournament.

Here is the full ACC schedule for Clemson (all times Eastern)

  • Dec. 7: at Miami, noon (ESPN)
  • Dec. 21 vs Wake Forest, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
  • Jan. 1 vs Stanford, TBD (ACC Network)
  • Jan. 4 vs California, TBD (ESPNU)
  • Jan. 8 at Louisville, 7 p.m. (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
  • Jan. 11 vs Florida State, 2 p.m. (ACC Network)
  • Jan. 14 at Georgia Tech, 9 p.m. (ACC Network)
  • Jan. 18 at Pitt, noon (The CW)
  • Jan. 22 vs Syracuse, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
  • Jan. 25 at Virginia Tech, 5 p.m. (ACC Network)
  • Feb. 1 at NC State, 1:30 p.m. (The CW)
  • Feb. 4 vs Georgia Tech, 9 p.m. (ACC Network)
  • Feb. 8 vs. Duke, TBD (ESPN)
  • Feb. 10 vs. North Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
  • Feb. 15 at Florida State, noon (The CW)
  • Feb. 22 at SMU, 4 p.m. (ACC Network)
  • Feb. 26 vs Notre Dame, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
  • March 1 at Virginia, TBD (ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU)
  • March 5 at Boston College, 7 p.m. (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
  • March 8 vs Virginia Tech, TBD (ESPNU)

RELATED: Marquee Clemson-Kentucky basketball game in December will be late tipoff

Clemson is coming off its best season in over 40 years. The Tigers reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last March for only the second time in school history — and the first time since 1980.

Brownell is entering his 15th season as Clemson’s head coach. The Tigers will officially open the 2024-25 campaign 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.

Both were instrumental in the Tigers’ deep run to the Elite Eight. Schieffelin was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player a season ago.

Follow us @Clemson_Wire on X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news, notes and opinions. 

Clemson-to-Philly connection for PJ Hall in 2024 NBA Draft?

Clemson’s PJ Hall is hoping to see his name called in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft next week.

Earlier this year, two Clemson players — running back Will Shipley and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. — were drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Could another rookie from Clemson be headed to Philadelphia next? At least one NBA Draft analyst think so.

In his latest mock draft, CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone forecasts Clemson forward PJ Hall to be a second-round selection (No. 41 overall) by the Philadelphia 76ers in next week’s NBA Draft. It’s the highest spot Hall has been forecast in recent mock drafts.

Hall worked out for the Golden State Warriors on June 7.

Per Boone’s analysis of Hall:

“The on-court/off-court metrics for Clemson with and without PJ Hall last season are staggering. The big man has a skilled game on the interior and is coming off a career year in which he averaged 18.3 points per game.”

Bleacher Report projects Hall going 45th overall to the Sacramento King in the draft, to be held Wednesday, June 26 and Thursday, June 27. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie projects Hall as the 50th overall pick by the Indiana Pacers.

Comparing Hall to New Orleans Pelicans forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman writes:

“PJ Hall didn’t scrimmage in Chicago after participating last year. There is ultimately enough game film of the senior playing against NBA-caliber bigs from the ACC.

Hall will still have to sell teams on his shooting during workouts, but he’s consistently improved his range. And between his physical profile and fundamentals around the post, his post scoring feels translatable.”

First-round selections for the 2024 NBA Draft will be held Wednesday night at 8 p.m. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The draft will conclude Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. with second-round selections.

ESPN will broadcast both rounds of the draft. ABC will televise the first round, as well.

Follow us @Clemson_Wire on X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news, notes and commentary.  

Clemson to play in college basketball’s 2024 Sunshine Slam

Clemson Basketball: The Clemson Tigers are one of four men’s basketball teams that were announced would play in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in-season tournament in Daytona, Florida for the 2024-25 season.

Clemson basketball is headed to the Sunshine State as part of its non-conference schedule.

The Tigers are one of four teams that will appear in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in Daytona, Fla. They’ll join Penn State from the Big Ten, Fordham from the Atlantic 10, and San Francisco from the West Coast Conference as part of the in-season tournament.

At least four other schools are expected to participate in the tournament.

Official dates and matchups will be announced later. The news was first reported by The Clemson Insider and confirmed in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein.

Clemson is coming off its most successful season in recent history. Coach Brad Brownell’s team defeated New Mexico, No. 3 seed Baylor, and No. 2 seed Arizona to reach the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, part of a 24-win season.

Among the three other schools mentioned in Wednesday’s announcement, San Francisco had the best 2023-24 season. The Dons were 23-11 overall and 11-5 in league play to finish third in the West Coast Conference. That included an impressive 14-2 mark at home.

Penn State is coming off a 16-17 season. The Nittany Lions finished 11th in the final Big Ten standings. Their best wins were a 90-89 victory over Illinois on February 21 and an 87-83 win over Wisconsin on January 16.

Fordham went 13-20 last season and 6-12 in the Atlantic 10.

Florida State defeated Colorado to win last season’s Sunshine Slam. The Seminoles were one of eight teams to participate in the tournament, which began in early November.

What Clemson, Alabama and Tennessee all have in common

NCAA Basketball: The Clemson Tigers finished the 2023-24 season ranked No. 15 in the final USA TODAY Sports Top 25 men’s basketball poll. The Tigers joined Alabama and Tennessee in some rare company with that ranking.

With the final men’s college basketball polls tallied for the 2023-24 season, Clemson is in some rather unique company among the three major men’s college sports.

Clemson finished at No. 14 in the final AP poll and No. 15 in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, both released Tuesday, April 9.

It is Clemson’s highest finish in the AP poll since 1997; the Tigers also finished 14th that year.

The Tigers’ run to the Elite Eight ended with the team finishing 24-12 overall. Among ACC teams, Clemson finished behind only North Carolina (29-8) and Final Four participants Duke (27-9) and NC State (26-15) in the polls.

National champion UConn finished its season 37-3 overall after a resounding 75-60 victory over Purdue on Monday night. UConn became the first school to repeat as national champions in men’s basketball since Florida in 2006 and 2007.

Clemson’s final ranking in the men’s basketball polls puts the Tigers in some pretty elite company.

As longtime Clemson Sports Information Director and broadcaster Tim Bourret noted in a social media post to X (formerly Twitter), only Clemson, Alabama, and Tennessee finished the 2023-24 seasons ranked in the final top 25 polls in both football and basketball — while currently ranked in the top 25 in baseball.

Clemson ranked No. 20 in the final AP and coaches football polls after last season’s Gator Bowl victory over Kentucky; Alabama was No. 5 with Tennessee at No. 17.

The Tigers are currently ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll. Tennessee is No. 4 in the poll while Alabama is No. 17.

Where Clemson ranks in way-too-early men’s college basketball Top 25 for 2024-25

NCAA Basketball: The Clemson Tigers placed in the top 15 of USA TODAY Sports’ way-too-early rankings for the 2024-25 men’s basketball season.

It’s been less than 24 hours since UConn was crowned as national champions for the second straight year after a resounding 75-60 win over Purdue at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Who knows what the college basketball landscape will look like in a few weeks, let alone in a few months? The transfer portal changes by the day, if not by the hour. See: Arizona’s Oumar Ballo, Wisconsin’s AJ Storr and Florida Atlantic’s Johnell Davis, just to name a few.

The coaching carousel has also yet to stop after former Kentucky coach John Calipari took the college sports world by storm when he bolted the Bluegrass State for SEC rival Arkansas.

There’s also players that could turn pro, as well as those that could opt in for a fifth college season by using their COVID-19 waiver. That includes Clemson’s PJ Hall and Chase Hunter.

Lots of (basket)balls are still up in the air, but that never stops sports minds from thinking far in advance. To that end, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, and Eddie Timanus have put together their way-too-early Top 25 rankings for the 2024-25 college basketball season.

In those rankings, Clemson checks in at No. 13 following the team’s run to the Elite Eight. The Tigers had their best season to date under coach Brad Brownell, beating New Mexico, Baylor and Arizona to reach the West Regional final of the NCAA Tournament against Alabama.

Per Myerberg, Smith and Timanus:

“A repeat of the Tigers’ journey to the Elite Eight will be a challenge, but a number of the key players could be back if they choose to use their extra year. That group includes standout postman P.J. Hall, as well as guard Chase Hunter and reserve forward Jack Clark. Joseph Girard III is gone, but Ian Schieffelin, voted the ACC’s most improved player in 2023-24, is also slated to return.”

Clark recently entered the transfer portal but could opt to return to Clemson if he doesn’t find a better fit to his liking.

The Tigers’ non-conference schedule is a long way from being set, but their ACC schedule was announced in late February. Clemson will host Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and conference newcomers Cal and Stanford at Littlejohn Coliseum in 2024-25.

The Tigers will travel to NC State, Virginia, Miami, Louisville, Pitt, Boston College, and SMU for road games. They’ll also face three schools at both home and away: Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

Joe Girard’s heartfelt message to Clemson fans

Clemson Basketball: Few players in the history of Clemson basketball left more of an impact in just one season than senior guard Joe Girard did.

Few players in the history of Clemson basketball left more of an impact in just one season than Joe Girard did.

The Glens Falls, N.Y. native, who transferred to Clemson from Syracuse after legendary coach Jim Boeheim announced his retirement last year, helped lead the Tigers to only their second all-time Elite Eight appearance — and first since 1980.

With his decision to transfer to Clemson, Girard gave the Tigers not only an instant scoring threat; he lended a certain layer of credibility to the program.

Girard averaged 15 points per game for Clemson and played in all 36 contests this season. He had a 25-point night in the Tigers’ ACC opener at Pitt and had nine games with 20 or more points, including a season-high 26 against Boston College on January 13.

Girard scored 19 points in the Tigers’ 89-82 loss to Alabama on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Girard took to social media to issue a special heartfelt message to Clemson fans.

“Clemson family,

“I just wanted to give you all a big thank you! Although I was only here for a year, you guys gave me a home away from home.

“To Coach Brownell & staff, the managers, and my incredible teammates, thank you for giving me another historic run in March Madness capped off with an Elite 8!

“The decision to transfer here was everything I wanted and more.

“I’m proud to be able to call myself a Clemson Tiger for life. Tiger Pride! -JG3 Out”

WATCH: Clemson players receive warm welcome home after Elite Eight

Clemson Basketball in March Madness: The Clemson Tigers received a warm welcome home when it landed Sunday night following its 89-82 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson’s season came to a disappointing end in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

Buoyed by a second-half surge that included 23 points from Mark Sears, No. 4 seed Alabama defeated the Tigers, 89-82, at Crypto.com Arena to advance to the Final Four.

Clemson got out to a 26-13 lead in the first half before the Crimson Tide overtook them with a 22-6 run to end the half.

Sears, who started the game 0-for-6 from behind the arc, made up for it in the second half by connecting on seven of his next eight 3-pointers.

Joe Girard ended up leading the Tigers with 19 points after a slow start, and Ian Schieffelin added 18 points. PJ Hall (14 points) and Chase Hunter (12 points) gave Clemson four players in double figures Saturday.

While the end result was a disappointment for the Tigers, Clemson fans were no less thrilled to welcome the team back home from the City of Angels after the team had made only its second all-time Elite Eight appearance.

The Clemson Athletic Department took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday night to share a pair of videos of the reception the team received from the Tiger faithful.

Watch below:

March Madness: Where to watch, stream and listen to Clemson vs. Alabama

Clemson Basketball in March Madness: Here’s where Clemson Tigers fans can watch, stream and listen to Saturday’s Elite Eight contest vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide in the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles.

Alabama coach Nate Oats dubbed it “the basketball Rose Bowl.”

No word yet on whether Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney will be there to witness it.

Nevertheless, it’s on to the Elite Eight for No. 6 seed Clemson, which will take on No. 4 seed Alabama in the West Region final of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

It will be the second time the Crimson Tide and Tigers have met this season. Clemson defeated Alabama, 85-77, back on November 28 in Tuscaloosa as part of the ACC-SEC Challenge.

With a trip to the Final Four on the line, it’s hard to bet against the Tigers in a rematch.

They survived No. 3 seed Baylor before knocking out No. 2 seed Arizona, 77-72, in Thursday’s Sweet 16 contest. Chase Hunter has been phenomenal throughout the tournament, and he scored another 18 points in the win against Arizona.

Clemson’s defense has held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting in its first three games of the tournament.

Alabama got to the Elite 8 by taking down No. 1 seed North Carolina, 89-87, in a thrilling comeback on Thursday. Grant Nelson scored 24 points to keep the Tide rolling in the Dance after a late-season slump in SEC play threatened to derail Alabama’s season.

The Crimson Tide is the led by senior Mark Sears, who averages 21.4 points per night. Sears totaled 18 points against North Carolina on 7-of-14 shots. ‘Bama’s biggest strength — and subsequently its achilles heel — is its 3-point shooting. When the Tide gets rolling, they have any number of deadly assassins from behind the arc, including Sears and Rylan Griffen (11.2 points per game).

Neither Clemson nor Alabama have ever reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Series Notes and History

Clemson leads the all time head to head series, 8-4. The two schools first met in basketball in 1929. The Tigers have won the last three meetings in the series, including its November win in Tuscaloosa. In that game, Hall had 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Hunter and Joe Girard combined for 31 points. Saturday’s game will mark the fifth meeting between the Tigers and Crimson Tide since 2015.

Where To Watch

Here’s where Clemson fans can watch, stream and listen to Saturday’s NCAA Tournament game against Alabama.

Date: Saturday, March 30

Time: 8:49 p.m. EST

Where: Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center)

TV: TBS/truTV

Live Stream: B/R Sports add-on via Max app

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network | Westwood One Sports (national broadcast) | TuneIn App | Varsity App | SiriusXM (Channel 202)

Broadcast Teams

TBS: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst), Allie LaForce (sideline)

Clemson Radio: Don Munson, JD Powell

Westwood One Sports: Spero Dedes, Austin Croshere

Nate Oats says Clemson-Alabama is “the basketball Rose Bowl”

March Madness: Instead of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers meeting on the gridiron to decide postseason glory, they’ll meet on the basketball court in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament Saturday.

It’s Clemson vs. Alabama again.

Fans of college sports are accustomed to seeing the Tigers and Crimson Tide square off against one another under the bright lights in the postseason.

There’s just one thing different this time around.

Instead of Alabama and Clemson meeting on the gridiron to decide postseason glory, they’ll meet on the basketball court at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament Saturday.

Alabama coach Nate Oats called it “the basketball Rose Bowl” Friday.

Neither Clemson nor Alabama have ever reached the Final Four, and both Oats and Tigers coach Brad Brownell want to be the first to add their names to their schools’ respective history books.

It doesn’t escape either Oats or Brownell that both men are coaching at schools that are most associated with success on the football field. Alabama and Clemson met four consecutive years in the four-team College Football Playoff between 2015-2018, three of which occurred in the national championship game.

In basketball, the schools met in this season’s ACC-SEC Challenge back on November 28 in Tuscaloosa, an 85-77 Tigers victory.

“We’ve won a lot, but we’ve never been to a Final Four,” Oats noted. “So making a Final Four would be very big for the program, would show that we’re competing with all of the best programs in the country for the biggest thing. You’re trying to win a national championship. Final Four is that step right before winning a national championship, and we haven’t been to a Final Four yet.”

Before Thursday’s 89-87 victory over No. 1 seed North Carolina, Alabama hadn’t reached the Elite Eight since 2004.

Clemson’s last trip to the Elite Eight was even further back — in 1980. Some 44 years later, the Tigers are back after beating No. 2 seed Arizona 77-72 on Thursday.

Brownell was asked the same question about his program relative to the university’s success on the gridiron. Brownell was quick to say that Clemson would always be known as a football school.

“The first thing you better realize, and I’m sure Nate feels the same way, if you’re the head basketball coach at Clemson or Alabama, you’re not going to become a basketball school. You’re going to be a football school,” Brownell told reporters Friday. “You better embrace that early on. That’s OK with me. I’m great with that. I have a great relationship with Coach Swinney. I want us to be great at everything, and we’re really good at a lot of sports at Clemson.”

Brownell noted that Clemson men’s soccer has won two of the past three national championships in that sport. The school also features a baseball team that entered this weekend 22-2 overall and ranked No. 2 in the country. Tigers softball is ranked in the Top 25, as well.

“We’ve got a great group of coaches in our athletic department,” Brownell said. “Certainly we’re known as a football school and will be one forever and we’re all really proud of that. But I’m just doing the best I can to make our program as good as it can be, and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish the last 14 years. Certainly this year has been really special.”

Tipoff for Saturday’s Clemson-Alabama game is scheduled for 8:49 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on TBS and truTV.