Coach Brad Brownell's Clemson Tigers feasted on one of the ACC's worst teams over the weekend, beating the Pitt Panthers for a 63-52 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday.
Behind 12 points apiece from Nick Davidson and Carter Welling, plus 10 from RJ Godfrey, Clemson (18-4 overall, 8-1 ACC) took control with a big first-half run that led to a 17-point lead at halftime. The Tigers used a 26-9 run over 13 minutes to build a 33-16 lead at intermission.
Clemson held Pittsburgh to 21 percent from the field and just 2-for-18 from beyond the arc in the first half. Pitt (9-13, 2-7), which has the fewest wins of any ACC team, briefly made it a single-digit game in the second half before Davidson hit back-to-back shots and Welling scored six straight points.
Saturday's victory marked the 200th home win for Brownell, the dean of ACC coaches who is now in his 16th season at Clemson and is aiming for a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Tigers trail only one team in the ACC standings: perennial powerhouse Duke, which Clemson will face a week from Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.
In the meantime, here's where the Tigers land in this week's USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Where is Clemson basketball ranked in new Coaches Poll after blowout win over Pittsburgh?
Clemson is ranked No. 19 in Monday's new Week 14 USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, the same spot as last week. The Tigers remain ranked one spot below ACC rival North Carolina and are now one spot above Saint Louis.
Clemson is one of five ACC teams ranked in this week's poll. Duke (20-1) remains the highest-ranked team at No. 4, followed by the Virginia Cavaliers (18-3) at No. 17.
North Carolina (17-4) held at No. 18 following its 91-75 win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Saturday. Louisville (15-6) fell three spots to No. 23 after losing by 31 at Duke last Monday.
USA TODAY Sports men's basketball Coaches Poll: full top 25 rankings entering February
The full Week 14 top 25 rankings in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball coaches poll are below.
| Rank | Team | Record | PTS | 1st | Prev | Chg | Hi/Lo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | 22-0 | 775 | 31 | 1 | – | 1/13 |
| 2 | Michigan | 20-1 | 728 | 0 | 2 | – | 1/7 |
| 3 | UConn | 21-1 | 715 | 0 | 3 | – | 3/7 |
| 4 | Duke | 20-1 | 692 | 0 | 4 | – | 3/6 |
| 5 | Gonzaga | 22-1 | 625 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5/20 |
| 6 | Illinois | 19-3 | 599 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 6/19 |
| 7 | Iowa State | 20-2 | 588 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 2/18 |
| 8 | Houston | 19-2 | 586 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2/8 |
| 9 | Nebraska | 20-2 | 502 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 5/NR |
| 10 | Michigan State | 19-3 | 486 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 8/21 |
| 11 | Kansas | 16-5 | 448 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 11/NR |
| 12 | Purdue | 18-4 | 387 | 0 | 12 | – | 1/12 |
| 13 | Texas Tech | 16-5 | 365 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 11/20 |
| 14 | BYU | 17-4 | 315 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 7/14 |
| 15 | Vanderbilt | 19-3 | 311 | 0 | 15 | – | 8/NR |
| 16 | Florida | 16-6 | 306 | 0 | 21 | 5 | 3/NR |
| 17 | Virginia | 18-3 | 303 | 0 | 17 | – | 15/NR |
| 18 | North Carolina | 17-4 | 280 | 0 | 18 | – | 12/25 |
| 19 | Clemson | 18-4 | 217 | 0 | 19 | – | 18/NR |
| 20 | Saint Louis | 21-1 | 197 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 20/NR |
| 21 | Arkansas | 16-6 | 154 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 14/23 |
| 22 | St. John's | 16-5 | 132 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 6/NR |
| 23 | Louisville | 15-6 | 72 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 5/23 |
| 24 | Miami (OH) | 22-0 | 68 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 24/NR |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 17-4 | 61 | 0 | NR | 4 | 25/NR |
Schools Dropped Out
Others Receiving Votes
Iowa 52; Tennessee 50; UCF 15; Alabama 15; Villanova 13; Kentucky 9; North Carolina State 4; Utah State 2; Georgia 2; Saint Mary's 1;
Brownell praises Clemson's "workmanlike" win against Pittsbugh https://t.co/XECjfUvdXxpic.twitter.com/wLBsxalvBR
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) January 31, 2026
Clemson basketball schedule 2026: West Coast trip looms for Tigers
Clemson will head to the West Coast for its first regular-season matchups against Stanford and California in The Golden State since both the Cardinal and Golden Bears joined the ACC in 2024-25. The Tigers defeated Stanford and Cal last year in Littlejohn Coliseum.
Tipoff for Clemson-Stanford is 10 p.m. ET Wednesday. The game will be televised on ACC Network.
Here's a game by game look at Clemson's 2025-26 men's basketball schedule.
All start times Eastern.
- Nov. 3: vs. New Hampshire (W, 88-38)
- Nov. 7: vs. Gardner-Webb (W, 97-59)
- Nov. 11: vs. Morehead State (W, 83-56)
- Nov. 15: at Georgetown (L, 79-74)
- Nov. 17: vs. North Alabama (W, 81-61)
- Nov. 21: vs. West Virginia (W, 70-67)
- Nov. 23: vs. Georgia (W, 97-94, OT)
- Nov. 28: vs. Alabama A&M (W, 92-56)
- Dec. 3: at Alabama (L, 90-84)
- Dec. 9 vs. BYU (L, 67-64)
- Dec. 13: vs. Mercer (W, 70-63)
- Dec. 16: vs. South Carolina (W, 68-61)
- Dec. 21: vs. Cincinnati (W, 68-65)
- Dec. 31: at Syracuse (W, 64-61)
- Jan. 3: at Pittsburgh (W, 73-68)
- Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 74-70)
- Jan. 10: at Notre Dame (W, 76-61)
- Jan. 13: vs. Boston College (W, 74-50)
- Jan. 17: vs. Miami (W, 69-59)
- Jan. 20: vs. NC State (L, 80-76, OT)
- Jan. 24: at Georgia Tech (W, 77-63)
- Jan. 31: vs. Pittsburgh (W, 63-52)
- Feb. 4: at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACC Network
- Feb. 7: at California, 8 p.m., ACC Network
- Feb. 11: vs. Virginia Tech, 7 p.m., ACC Network
- Feb. 14: at Duke, Noon, ESPN
- Feb. 18: at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC Network
- Feb. 21: Florida State, Noon, The CW
- Feb. 28: vs. Louisville, TBD
- March 3: at North Carolina, 7 p.m., TBD
- March 7: vs. Georgia Tech, Noon, ACC Network
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson basketball learns new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll ranking