Clemson (27-7, 18-2 ACC)

After finishing with a school-record 27 wins and an 18-2 record in the ACC last season — which included wins over AP top five teams Duke and Kentucky — the Tigers are predicted to take a step back this season and finish seventh in the conference. They have lost five of their six leading scorers, including Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin and Viktor Lakhin. Seven players graduated or exhausted eligibility. Six others entered the transfer portal. So Clemson is seeing unprecedented turnover with only three players returning from last year’s team for coach Brad Brownell.

Players to watch

Nick Davidson (redshirt senior, F, 6-10, 235, 15.8 ppg). He played three seasons at Nevada where he was a second-team All-Mountain West selection. He has plenty of experience, playing in 100 college games with 67 consecutive starts for the Wolfpack. He averaged a career-high 15.8 points last season, while adding 6.5 rebounds. He also totaled 39 blocks and 27 steals to go along with 92 assists.

Carter Welling (redshirt junior, C, 6-10, 240). Welling played one season at UC Irvine (2023-24) and one at Utah Valley (2024-25). He started all 32 games for Utah Valley, earning Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Defensive Player of the Year. Welling turned in 21 double-digit scoring games, including five 20-point outputs.

Dillon Hunter (senior, G, 6-3, 195, 5.4 ppg). Hunter returns this season for the Tigers after playing in 30 games last season and is expected to take on a bigger role.

Departures and arrivals

Clemson lost nearly 90% of its scoring production, including Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin, Viktor Lakhin, Chauncey Wiggins, Del Jones, Christian Reeves and Asa Thomas.

The Tigers brought in six transfers including Davidson, Welling, RJ Godfrey (Georgia), Jake Wahlin (Utah), Efrem Johnson (UAB) and Jestin Porter (Middle Tennessee State), and have four incoming incoming freshman including Blake Davidson, who is Nick Davidson's brother.

Top games

Clemson opens at home against New Hampshire on Nov. 3. A challenge awaits on Nov. 15 when they visit Georgetown. The Tigers first major tests should come the first week of December when they visit No. 15 Alabama on Dec. 3 and No. 8 BYU on Dec. 9. The biggest game on the schedule comes Feb. 14 when they visit No. 6 Duke.

Facts and figures

The Tigers won a school record 27 games in 2024-25. ... The No. 5 seeded Tigers were upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by McNeese State. ... Godfrey returns to Clemson after spending a year away from the program at Georgia. He was recruited by Brownell out of high school and played two seasons for the Tigers, helping them reach the Elite Eight in 2023-24. ... Clemson has won 74 games over the last three seasons, including two trips to the NCAA Tournament and the school’s second Elite Eight appearance.

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