2025–26 Clemson Tigers men's basketball team

2025–26 Clemson Tigers men's basketball
Charleston Classic Palmetto Bracket champions
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record9–3 (0–0 ACC)
Head coach
Associate head coachBilly Donlon (4th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Sean Dixon (4th season)
  • Dick Bender (10th season)
Home arenaLittlejohn Coliseum
(Capacity: 9,000)
2025–26 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3 Duke 0 0   11 0   1.000
California 0 0   10 1   .909
No. 12 North Carolina 0 0   10 1   .909
No. 23т Virginia 0 0   9 1   .900
Miami (FL) 0 0   10 2   .833
Virginia Tech 0 0   10 2   .833
No. 11 Louisville 0 0   9 2   .818
SMU 0 0   9 2   .818
Stanford 0 0   9 2   .818
Clemson 0 0   9 3   .750
Notre Dame 0 0   9 3   .750
Wake Forest 0 0   9 3   .750
NC State 0 0   8 4   .667
Georgia Tech 0 0   7 4   .636
Syracuse 0 0   7 4   .636
Pittsburgh 0 0   6 6   .500
Boston College 0 0   5 6   .455
Florida State 0 0   5 6   .455
† 2026 ACC tournament winner
As of December 17, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025–26 Clemson Tigers men's basketball team represents Clemson University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers are led by sixteenth-year head coach Brad Brownell, and play their home games at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Previous season

The Tigers finished the season 27–7 and 18–2 in ACC play to finish in a tie for second place. As the third seed in the 2025 ACC tournament earned a bye into Quarterfinals where they defeated sixth seed SMU. In the Semifinals they could not avenge a regular season loss to Louisville as they lost by three points. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were a five-seed in the Midwest regional. They were upset 69–67 by twevlve-seed McNeese in the First Round. The Tigers mounted a comeback after being down 31–13 at halftime of the game, but they fell just short.

Offseason

Departures

Clemson Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Viktor Lakhin 0 C 6'11" 245 Senior Anapa, Russia Graduated
Chase Hunter 1 G 6'4" 202 Graduate Student Atlanta, Georgia Graduated
Jake Heidbreder 3 G 6'5" 180 Junior Floyds Knobs, Indiana Transferred to Fresno State[1]
Ian Schieffelin 4 F 6'8" 240 Senior Loganville, Georgia Joined Clemson football[2]
Asa Thomas 5 F 6'7" 200 Freshman Lake Forest, Illinois Transferred to Furman[3]
Myles Foster 6 F 6'7" 245 Graduate Student Brooklyn, New York Graduated
Chauncey Wiggins 7 F 6'10" 216 Junior Covington, Georgia Transferred to Florida State[4]
Del Jones 10 G 6'2" 187 Freshman Landover, Maryland Transferred to Radford[5]
Jaeden Zackery 11 G 6'11" 218 Graduate Student Salem, Wisconsin Graduated
Andrew Latiff 13 G 6'5" 195 Senior Clemson, South Carolina Graduated
Christian Reeves 14 C 7'1" 261 Sophomore Charlotte, North Carolina Transferred to Charleston[6]
Matt Kelly 20 G 6'2" 175 Senior Charleston, South Carolina Graduated
Daniel Nauseef 32 G 6'7" 220 Senior Dayton, Ohio Graduated
Jackson Roberts 35 F/C 6'11" 247 Freshman Tampa, Florida Entered transfer portal[7]

Incoming transfers

Clemson incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
RJ Godfrey 0 F 6'8" 230 Senior Suwanee, Georgia Georgia[8]
Jestin Porter 1 G 6'1" 180 Graduate Student Houston, Texas Middle Tennessee[9]
Butta Johnson 4 G 6'4" 180 Senior Hunstville, Alabama UAB[10]
Jake Wahlin 10 F 6'10" 212 Junior Provo, Utah Utah[11]
Nick Davidson 11 F/C 6'10" 238 Senior Mission Viejo, California Nevada[12]
Carter Welling 22 F 6'10" 225 Junior Draper, Utah Utah Valley[13]

2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Blake Davidson
F
Mission Viejo, California Mater Dei 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 2, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Zac Foster
G
Atlanta, Georgia Woodward Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 12, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (79)
Trent Steinour
F/C
Huntersville, North Carolina Lake Norman 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) May 23, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (79)
Chase Thompson
F
Glenwood, Minnesota Alexandria Area 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sep 29, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (78)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: 37    Rivals: 40    ESPN: NR
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2025 Clemson Basketball Commitment List". Rivals. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  • "Clemson 2025 Basketball Commits". Scout. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  • "Clemson Tigers". ESPN. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved October 31, 2025.

Roster

2025–26 Clemson Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 RJ Godfrey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr North Gwinnett Suwanee, Georgia
G 1 Jestin Porter 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Cypress Ridge Houston, Texas
G 2 Dillon Hunter 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Sr Westlake Atlanta, Georgia
G 3 Chase Thompson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Alexandria Area Glenwood, Minnesota
G 4 Butta Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Grissom Huntsville, Alabama
G 5 Zach Foster 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Woodward Academy Atlanta, Georgia
F 8 Dallas Thomas 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Fr Parkview Magnet Little Rock, Arkansas
F 10 Jake Wahlin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Jr Timpview Provo, Utah
F/C 11 Nick Davidson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 238 lb (108 kg) RS Sr Mater Dei Mission Viejo, California
F 14 Blake Davidson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Mater Dei Mission Viejo, California
G 21 Ace Buckner 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Fr La Lumiere Dallas, Texas
F 22 Carter Welling 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Corner Canyon Draper, Utah
F/C 44 Trent Steinour 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Lake Norman Huntersville, North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Source[14][15][16][17]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 17, 2025*
6:00 p.m.
Presbyterian W 83–44 
 15  Porter   8  Welling   3  Thompson  Littlejohn Coliseum (2,209)
Clemson, SC
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
New Hampshire W 88–38  1–0
 18  Buckner   9  Godfrey   3  Godfrey  Littlejohn Coliseum (7,439)
Clemson, SC
November 7, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCN
Gardner–Webb W 97–59  2–0
 18  N. Davidson   11  Welling   5  Foster  Littlejohn Coliseum (7,217)
Clemson, SC
November 11, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
Morehead State W 83–56  3–0
 14  Wahlin   11  Godfrey   4  Hunter  Littlejohn Coliseum (6,357)
Clemson, SC
November 15, 2025*
12:00 p.m., Peacock
at Georgetown L 74–79  3–1
 14  Welling   7  Wahlin   4  Foster  Capital One Arena (8,562)
Washington, D.C.
November 17, 2025*
9:00 p.m, ACCN
North Alabama W 81–61  4–1
 16  Godfrey   10  Wahlin   6  Foster  Littlejohn Coliseum (6,356)
Clemson, SC
November 21, 2025*
6:30 p.m., ESPNU
vs. West Virginia
Charleston Classic Palmetto Bracket Semifinals
W 70–67  5–1
 14  Tied   8  Welling   4  Hunter  TD Arena (4,856)
Charleston, SC
November 23, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ESPN
vs. Georgia
Charleston Classic Palmetto Bracket Championship
W 97–94 OT 6–1
 18  Porter   9  N. Davidson   2  Tied  TD Arena (3,823)
Charleston, SC
November 28, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX
Alabama A&M W 92–56  7–1
 14  Porter   8  Godfrey   3  Tied  Littlejohn Coliseum (6,118)
Clemson, SC
December 3, 2025*
7:15 p.m., ESPNU
at No. 12 Alabama
ACC–SEC Challenge
L 84–90  7–2
 19  Godfrey   6  Wahlin   4  Hunter  Coleman Coliseum (13,474)
Tuscaloosa, AL
December 9, 2025*
6:30 p.m., ESPN
vs. No. 10 BYU
Jimmy V Classic
L 64–67  7–3
 17  Porter   6  Welling   4  Porter  Madison Square Garden (19,694)
New York, NY
December 13, 2025*
3:00 p.m., ACCNX
Mercer W 70–63  8–3
 15  Hunter   8  Godfrey   2  Tied  Littlejohn Coliseum (6,129)
Clemson, SC
December 16, 2025*
7:00 P.M., ESPN
South Carolina
Rivalry
W 68–61  9–3
 19  Buckner   7  Buckner   6  Hunter  Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)
Clemson, SC
December 21, 2025*
3:00 p.m., ESPN
vs. Cincinnati
Greenville Winter Invitational
      Bon Secours Wellness Arena 
Greenville, SC
ACC regular season
December 31, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Syracuse       JMA Wireless Dome 
Syracuse, NY
January 3, 2026
12:00 p.m., The CW
at Pittsburgh       Petersen Events Center 
Pittsburgh, PA
January 7, 2026
9:00 p.m., ESPN2/U
SMU       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
January 10, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN2/U
at Notre Dame       Joyce Center 
South Bend, IN
January 13, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCN
Boston College       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
January 17, 2026
2:15 p.m., The CW
Miami (FL)       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
January 20, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCN
NC State       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
January 24, 2026
12:00 p.m., ACCN
at Georgia Tech       McCamish Pavilion 
Atlanta, GA
January 31, 2026
12:00 p.m., ACCN
Pittsburgh       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
February 4, 2026
10:00 p.m., ACCN
at Stanford       Maples Pavilion 
Stanford, CA
February 7, 2026
8:00 p.m., ACCN
at California       Haas Pavilion 
Berkley, CA
February 11, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCN
Virginia Tech       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
February 14, 2026
12:00 p.m., ESPN
at Duke       Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
February 18, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCN
at Wake Forest       LJVM Coliseum 
Winston-Salem, NC
February 21, 2026
12:00 p.m., The CW
Florida State       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
February 28, 2026
ESPN/2
Louisville       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
March 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN/2/U
at North Carolina       Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
March 7, 2026
12:00 p.m., ACCN
Georgia Tech       Littlejohn Coliseum 
Clemson, SC
ACC Tournament

vs.        Spectrum Center 
Charlotte, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRVRVRV
CoachesRVRVRVRVRV

References

  1. ^ Moore, Jackson (April 23, 2025). "Fresno State men's basketball lands Clemson transfer Jake Heidbreder". 247 Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  2. ^ Hale, David (May 2, 2025). "Ian Schieffelin takes Dabo Swinney offer, joins Clemson football". ESPN. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  3. ^ Turri, Alexander (April 15, 2025). "Former Clemson forward Asa Thomas announces transfer to Furman". Yahoo Sports. ClemsonWire. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  4. ^ Neee, Chriss (April 2, 2025). "FSU lands Clemson transfer Chauncey Wiggins, who believes he can be further developed by Luke Loucks and Co". 247 Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  5. ^ Turri, Alexander (April 8, 2025). "Former Clemson guard announces new, shocking transfer destination". Yahoo Sports. ClemsonWire. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  6. ^ Turri, Alexander (April 16, 2025). "Former Clemson center Christian Reeves announces transfer destination". Yahoo Sports. ClemsonWire. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  7. ^ Wadleigh, Matt (April 21, 2025). "College Basketball Program Loses Three Players to Transfer Portal Within Hours". Athlon Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  8. ^ Carter, Derrian (April 4, 2025). "Brad Brownell adds former Clemson basketball player in transfer portal in 2025". The Greenville News. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  9. ^ Carter, Derrian (April 22, 2025). "Clemson basketball adds MTSU scoring guard Jestin Porter from transfer portal for 2025". The Greenville News. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  10. ^ Carter, Derrian (April 13, 2025). "Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell lands fourth transfer portal player for 2025". The Greenville News. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  11. ^ Carter, Derrian (April 14, 2025). "Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell adds fifth transfer portal player for 2025". The Greenville News. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  12. ^ Murray, Chris (April 2, 2025). "Nevada transfer Nick Davidson lands at Clemson to finish his college career". Nevada Sports Network. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  13. ^ Carter, Derrian (April 4, 2025). "Clemson basketball, Brad Brownell land second transfer portal player for 2025". The Greenville News. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  14. ^ "2025–26 Men's Basketball Schedule". clemsontigers.com. Clemson Athletic Department. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  15. ^ "Basketball Announces Non-League Schedule for 2025-26". clemsontigers.com. Clemson Athletic Department. August 21, 2025. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  16. ^ "ACC Releases 2025-26 Slate of Men's Basketball Games". clemsontigers.com. Clemson Athletic Department. September 9, 2025. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  17. ^ "2025–26 Clemson Basketball Schedule". thepalmettobowl.com. ThePalmettoBowl.com. Retrieved October 21, 2025.