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Clemson Is Tied for First in the ACC — And Nobody Saw This Coming

Written by Jacob Donald – I Bleed Orange Sports Network

Tiger fans, who would have thought we would be sitting here tied for first place in the ACC with Duke in early February? I’ll tell you who didn’t. Me. Not anyone.

What Brad Brownell has done with this team is honestly incredible. The work he did in the transfer portal and the way he’s gotten all these guys to buy in, play together, and play unselfish basketball has completely changed the outlook of this season.

I’m going to keep saying it because it still sounds crazy. Clemson returned just six percent of its production from last season, and almost all of that six percent was veteran Dillon Hunter. Pretty much everyone else came from the portal. New faces. New roles. Guys who had never played together before.

Around this time in past years, I remember looking at the schedules of the top teams, counting losses, and trying to figure out how Clemson could sneak its way to 20 wins. Now look where we are.

And the truth is, this is not just some random one-year thing. Over the last several seasons, Brad Brownell has quietly built Clemson into a real ACC power. We have seen a deep Elite Eight run, the best record in program history last season, and now another year with major impact players coming in through the portal and fitting right into the system.

Right now the Tigers are tied for first in the ACC with Duke and sitting at 20–4 overall. Honestly, they could be even better. Every game Clemson has lost was winnable. It came down to late-game execution, a few costly turnovers, and small mistakes in big moments. That’s frustrating, but it also shows how high this team’s ceiling really is.

The Tigers have stacked up big wins and are rolling with confidence. The defense has been the identity all season. Clemson makes teams uncomfortable, forces tough shots, and plays with effort every single night. When that defense is locked in, this team can beat anybody.

But now comes the real test.

The final stretch of the season is no joke. Clemson still has to face the elite of the elite in Duke, UNC, and Louisville. Those are the games that will show exactly where this team stands heading into March.

Can the Tigers keep up this insane level of defense? Can everyone continue to share the ball and stay unselfish? Can they execute late in close games against top competition?

If the answer is yes, then Clemson is looking at a deep ACC Tournament run and the potential for a serious March Madness push.

We are going to find out very soon.

Go Tigers.

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Clemson Basketball Is Rolling — And Tiger Fans Should Be Fired Up

By Jacob Donald — I Bleed Orange Sports Network

Tiger fans, basketball season is officially here — and it is ramping up in a big way.

To start the year, this brand new Clemson squad, made up almost entirely of transfers outside of Dillon Hunter, looked exactly like what you would expect from a team that barely knew each other. The Tigers handled the smaller Division II and Division III opponents early, but when they faced teams with a real pulse, it wasn’t pretty.

Road losses to Georgetown and Alabama, along with tough defeats against BYU and others, had plenty of fans wondering just how long it would take this group to figure things out.

But something changed.

Over the last week, Clemson has flipped the script in a major way.

It started with a huge win over a very talented Syracuse team. That momentum carried into another impressive ACC victory against Pitt, and then the Tigers capped it all off by taking down a ranked SMU squad inside Littlejohn Coliseum.

Just like that, Clemson went from searching for answers to sitting at 13–3 overall and 3–0 in ACC play.

And what makes this run even more impressive?

This team does not have a true number one guy.

Instead, it’s depth — real depth — that is driving Clemson’s success.

One night it’s RJ Godfrey stepping up and hitting a clutch and-one to ice the game. The next, Dillon Hunter takes over and controls the tempo. Then you have Butta Johnson coming off the bench and drilling four threes like it’s nothing.

Jestin Porter has embraced a larger role, while the bigs — Nick Davidson and Jake Wahlin — are doing the dirty work in the paint.

This is a Brad Brownell special.

The system is finally clicking. The rotations are tightening up. And defensively, this might be one of the best Clemson teams we’ve seen in years.

The Tigers are guarding at a high level, forcing bad shots, and turning every possession into a grind for opponents.

And they’re doing it without one of their most talented young players.

The season took a devastating hit in the South Carolina rivalry game when true freshman four-star Zac Foster went down with a torn ACL, ending his season. Most teams would have folded.

Brad Brownell and this roster just kept finding ways to win.

Think about it — this is literally a team of transfers that barely played together a few months ago. Now they’re beating ranked opponents and sitting undefeated in ACC play.

If Clemson keeps this up, we are absolutely talking about a tournament team come March.

At the end of the day, Brad Brownell knows how to work the portal — and he knows how to coach.

This team is proof of that.

It’s going to be fun to see how long the Tigers can keep this rolling.

Go Tigers.
I Bleed Orange forever.

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Clemson Basketball: A Strong 7–3 Start, But the Tigers Still Need Their Closer

By Jacob Donald — I Bleed Orange Sports Network

After the greatest season in program history, Clemson basketball entered 2025 with more questions than answers. Brad Brownell basically had to rebuild the entire roster from scratch, losing almost every major contributor from last year’s run. But through ten games, the Tigers sit at 7–3, showing flashes of real depth, talent, and chemistry.

But they’re also showing one huge problem.

Clemson still doesn’t have a true number one scorer or closer.

And after back-to-back battles against No. 12 Alabama and No. 10 BYU, that weakness is becoming impossible to ignore. It’s the question everyone around Clemson wants answered. Is it Dillon Hunter, the veteran and the only returning player? Is it Justin Porter, who’s shown flashes as a tough bucket-getter? Is it freshman Zac Foster, the ultra-talented prospect with star upside?

Brad Brownell and the Tigers need that answer — and fast — because ACC play is coming, and the league is absolutely stacked this year.

The Alabama game told the whole Clemson story in 40 minutes. The Tigers started horribly, fell behind early, and looked outmatched. Then, in true Clemson fashion, they fought back with toughness, defense, and heart. By the second half, Clemson had a real chance to steal a road win against a top-tier opponent.

But turnovers hurt. Missed free throws hurt. And the lack of a go-to scorer in winning time hurt the most.

Freshman Zac Foster had his moments, but in crunch time he missed shots that a true number one guy needs to hit. Those are growing pains — understandable, but still costly.

The Jimmy V Classic matchup with BYU was almost the reverse of Alabama. Clemson came out on fire. The Tigers defended, hit shots, and built a massive 22-point lead in the first half. They even slowed down BYU’s projected NBA lottery pick, AJ Dybantsa, early.

Then the second half happened.

Clemson couldn’t score, couldn’t defend, and couldn’t slow down Dybantsa, who erupted for 28 points and took over the game late. And once again, when the game tightened, Clemson had nobody to hand the ball to and say, “Go get us a bucket.”

Last year, Chase Hunter was that guy — a constant 20-plus-point threat who lived for clutch moments. This year, Clemson still hasn’t found that player.

The truth is simple. Clemson has lost every true test so far: Georgetown on the road, Alabama on the road, and BYU on a national stage.

But here’s the encouraging part.

This team is talented. This team is deep. And this team competes.

Brad Brownell has the pieces. Now he has to find the right combination and identify the alpha — the player who wants the ball when everything is on the line.

If Clemson figures that out before ACC play heats up, this absolutely can be a March team. A 7–3 start is nothing to panic about, but if the Tigers want to dance in March, they need to grow up fast, tighten late-game execution, and find their Chase Hunter replacement.

The potential is there.
The depth is there.
Now it’s time to turn it into wins.

Go Tigers.
I Bleed Orange forever.

Clemson Basketball 2025: Brad Brownell Reloads and Rebuilds Again

By Jacob Donald — I Bleed Orange Sports Network

After delivering the best regular season record in Clemson basketball history last year, Brad Brownell entered the 2025 season facing something almost no coach survives: losing nearly an entire roster. Everyone was gone except one player — Dillon Hunter, younger brother of Clemson legend Chase Hunter. Any other program would call that a rebuild year.

But not Brad Brownell. If Tiger fans have learned anything, it’s this: Brad knows how to portal.

And he didn’t just reload — he reloaded fast.

Brownell attacked the transfer portal and landed impact players left and right: Nick Davidson from Nevada, Carter Welling, Justin Porter, and more. It has become a pattern with Brownell. Every year he finds key pieces, whether it was Victor Lokin last season or multiple portal gems from years past. This year he had to build an entire team from scratch, and so far, the new faces look the part.

Clemson sits at 6–1 to start the season. The schedule hasn’t included any top-10 monsters yet, but there are already two quality wins — a gritty West Virginia squad and a huge victory over Georgia to capture the Charleston Classic. Their only loss came in a tight, physical road game at Georgetown. Honestly, for a brand-new roster in its first hostile environment, the Tigers showed more good than bad.

You can see the chemistry coming together — week by week, practice by practice, game by game.

That’s the strength of Brownell’s system: it’s structured, it’s smart, and it produces winning basketball even when the pieces are brand new. He has never been labeled an elite recruiter, but he is an elite coach. His system works. The results speak for themselves.

From the Elite Eight run in 2023, to the best regular season in program history last season, Brad Brownell has earned his extension. He’s pushing Clemson basketball forward, quietly turning the program into a respected, consistent threat. Clemson will always be known for football first, but now people are starting to say: “Yeah, Clemson has Dabo and football… but they’re building something in basketball too.”

So What About the 2025 Team?

In my opinion, Clemson is absolutely a tournament team. The depth is strong. The frontcourt is legit. Bringing back RJ Godfrey was massive. Adding Nick Davidson was huge. And one of the biggest surprises has been young Ace Buckner, who has stepped up early and shown real star potential.

With only one true returning player from last year’s record-breaking squad, it will take time — but you can already see it forming.

The Challenge Ahead

The ACC is absolutely loaded this season. Duke, UNC, Louisville, Syracuse — it’s a gauntlet. If the season ended today, Clemson probably sits somewhere in the 7–8 range. But the Tigers are about to be tested immediately.

December will tell the real story.

On December 3rd, Clemson faces #8 Alabama — one of the toughest teams in the country. Then immediately after comes #9 BYU. Those back-to-back showdowns will reveal just how good this brand-new Clemson squad really is, and whether the Tigers have another March run in them.

For now?

So far, so good.
The chemistry is building.
The pieces are fitting.
And Brad Brownell’s machine is rolling again.

It should be another exciting year for Clemson basketball.
Go Tigers!

Clemson Basketball News

Tigers Ready to March in March! Can Clemson Make a Deep Run?

After finishing just behind Duke in the ACC, Clemson enters the tournament with high expectations. Led by Ian Schieffelin and Chase Hunter, the Tigers are set to make history. Will they surpass last year’s Elite 8 finish?

Read the full story on I Bleed Orange Club

Clemson Basketball News

Clemson's March Madness Run: Can the Tigers Shock the Nation?

The Clemson Tigers are making waves in this year's March Madness! After a thrilling season, including a victory over Duke, fans are hopeful for a deep tournament run. Will this be the year Clemson basketball makes history?

Read the full story on I Bleed Orange Club

I Bleed Orange Exclusive Basketball News

Tigers Win! Clemson Breaks Records with Stellar Defense

The Clemson Tigers roared to victory as they broke multiple records, including 15 double-digit wins, 18 ACC wins, and 26 overall regular season wins. Their stout defense helped secure a No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament.

Read the full story on I Bleed Orange Club

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