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?
Clemson Tigers Hoops Preview 2026-27
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.
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.
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 start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Foster, the No. 68 recruit in 2025, showed defensive and playmaking ability before his season was cut short by an ACL rupture in December. Dallas Thomas, the No. 82 recruit in 2024, demonstrated real shooting promise this past season in limited action after redshirting his freshman campaign, while 6-8 Chase Thompson saw action in all 35 games for the Tigers as a freshman.
Tigers 7 Newcomers
Brownell brought in seven newcomers this summer, including four transfers. All of the transfers will play a major role for the Tigers. He also brought in three high school recruits.
Liutauras Lelevicious is a high-volume scorer who showed some improvement last season with TCU after spending his first collegiate season at Oregon State. Lelevicious, a 6-7 athletic sharpshooting wing, averaged 8.0 points and 3.4 rebounds. He knocked down 1.4 threes while shooting 45.7% from the field and 38.0% from the 3-point line. He is likely to start on the wing.
David Fuchs, a 6-9 Austrian forward with three years of college experience, has improved throughout his college career and is coming off a career season at San Francisco. Fuchs is a high-energy physical rebounder on both ends of the floor, though he does need to improve his efficiency around the rim. He will likely start at power forward.
Cole Certa was one of the most improved players in the ACC last season at Notre Dame. Certa is an outstanding scorer who notched 30+ points three times last year and shot 36.7% from deep on 2.6 triples per game.
Dylan Faulkner, who suffered a toe injury during summer workouts, is one of the most underrated transfers from Samford. Faulkner is a high-efficiency interior scorer and an outstanding rebounder and rim protector. The 6-9 center has produced 12 double-doubles and scored 20 or more points nine times. He is likely to start at the five.
Harris Reynolds was a four-star recruit and the 2026 Georgia 4A Player of the Year. Reynolds is a three-level scorer and is a long, explosive athlete.
Tigers Depth Chart
Brownell has typically used an eight- or nine-man rotation over the last four seasons.
Starters
PG: Ace Buckner
SG: Cole Certa
SF: Liutauras Lelevicious
PF: David Fuchs
C: Dylan Faulkner
Bench
6th: Zac Foster
7th: Dallas Thomas
8th: Chase Thompson
9th: Carter Welling: Likely to move up the depth chart
10th: Harris Reynolds
11th: Trent Steinour
Deep Bench
Blake Davidson, Amare James, Will Stevens
Clemson Tigers Hoops Schedule
Clemson will start the season with a pair of home exhibition games against Georgia and Presbyterian College. The Tigers will then host five straight games, with Georgetown being the biggest game of the bunch, before heading to Maui.
The Tigers will play three games in Maui, starting with Game 1 against Ole Miss and then facing either Washington or BYU. Once they return to Clemson, the Tigers will host Auburn in the SEC/ACC Challenge. They will travel to TCU, South Carolina and Cincinnati before closing the nonconference slate against Colgate.
Clemson’s ACC home-and-away series this year is against Florida State and Georgia Tech. The Tigers will not face North Carolina.
Clemson’s other home games: Virginia, Wake Forest, California, Syracuse, Stanford and Notre Dame. The Tigers’ other road contests are versus NC State, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Miami, Virginia Tech, SMU and Louisville.
Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
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