Clemson Tigers Basketball 2026-27 Preview

The Clemson Tigers have been one of the most consistent ACC programs this decade. Unlike last offseason, head coach Brad Brownell didn’t have to rebuild the Tigers’ roster; rather, he retooled it. So, with some continuity, can the Tigers get over the hump in the ACC?

Brownell is the greatest coach in Clemson basketball history, and it is not even close. Brownell, who enters his 17th season, owns a 316-207 (.604) record with six NCAA Tournament bids. The six NCAA Tournament berths account for nearly half of the school’s 13 total appearances.

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Brownell has led the Tigers to 15 winning seasons, including four straight 20-win campaigns. The Tigers are coming off a 24-11 record, marking their fourth straight 20-win season, and a 12-6 mark in ACC play. For all the success that the Tigers have experienced under Brownell, they have no conference titles and have been ousted in the first round of the NCAA Tournament four times. They fell to Iowa in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Clemson already had a dry run this summer as the Tigers went to Italy to play three games. The Tigers won all three of their games, with their first contest shortened early due to court conditions. Carter Welling, Zach Foster, Ace Buckner and Dylan Faulkner were unavailable due to injuries.

Clemson’s Returning Players

Despite returning the majority of last year’s players, Clemson lost leading scorer RJ Godfrey. Brownell also saw Jestin Porter, Nick Davidson, Efrem Johnson and Dillon Hunter depart.

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Welling leads seven returnees. Welling led the Tigers in rebounds and blocks and was second on the team in scoring in 2025-26. He will miss the start of the season after tearing his ACL in March.

Buckner showed some promise in his first season after redshirting his freshman campaign. The 6-2 guard scored in double figures 12 times and averaged  8.3 points with shooting splits of 42.9/31.2/81.3. The 6-2 guard had offseason shoulder surgery, though he is expected to be ready for the…

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Publish date : 2026-09-25 16:33:00

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