2023–24 Team Preview: Clemson
This is a part of a weekly series that will analyze the upcoming season for each ACC Men’s Basketball Team every Thursday leading up to the 2023–24 season.
Last week, we covered Boston College.
This week, it’s Clemson’s turn.
2022–23 Season Recap
Clemson had another solid season that ended in disappointing fashion. After being left out of the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers fell at home to Morehead State in the NIT 1st Round.
Although Clemson finished high in the ACC standings…which usually results in an NCAA Tournament spot…their poor nonconference schedule and a rather soft ACC schedule came back to bite them.
The Tigers had solid KenPom numbers — 68th overall, 82nd best offense, 61st best defense. They’ll need improve offensively in order to make that next leap back into the NCAA Tournament.
2023–24 Roster Outlook
Clemson has 3 returning ACC players (although 1 is a transfer) who put up great numbers last season. The two-leading returning scorers in ACC play from last season will be suiting up for Clemson this year.
Chase Hunter is one of the leading assist men coming back in the ACC this year — and he can also score (over 13 points per game last season).
PJ Hall removed his name from the NBA Draft to come back for the Tigers and will be one of the best players in the ACC.
Joe Girard transferred over from Syracuse and is the leading returning scorer in the ACC.
Those 3 will have a heavy impact on this year’s roster, but there are some other pieces that will be key to Clemson having success this season.
Players like Alex Hemenway, Ian Schieffelin, RJ Godfrey, Dillon Hunter, and Chauncey Wiggins will look to make big jumps in improvement this season.
Jack Clark (NC State) and Jake Heidbreder (leading scorer at Air Force last season) also have the potential to be immediate impact players for the Tigers.
Clemson also signed 4-star Asa Thomas. Thomas, a 6’7’’ forward, chose the Tigers over schools like Illinois, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Marquette, and Indiana.
This looks to be one of the better rosters Clemson has had in the recent past — there’s shooting, a big presence inside, versatility and athleticism.
There are a few question marks — and I’m not sure how the starting lineup will actually shake up — but the Tigers have a lot of things to be excited about this hoops season.
The Tigers struggled on the offensive end at times last season — look for that to improve with their latest additions.
2023–24 Schedule Outlook
We are still waiting on the official non-conference schedule, but here’s what we know so far:
- ACC/SEC Challenge at Alabama (probably a Top-25 team)
- TCU in Canada (finished top-25 in KenPom last season and was a 6-seed)
- Asheville Championship with potential matchups against Maryland (finished 23rd in KenPom + made NCAAT), Davidson (always a challenge), and UAB (lost in NIT Championship game)
- Start of a home and home series against Memphis (finished 20th in KenPom + made NCAAT)
- Unofficial, but looking to also add Boise State to the schedule
I think it’s obvious that Brad Brownell and Clemson don’t want a repeat of last season based on the projected 2023–24 schedule.
The schedule has improved, but it’s not an overly daunting one for this particular Clemson roster.
In ACC play, the Tigers’ double-opponents are:
Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Pitt, UNC, Syracuse
- Miami, Pitt, UNC, and Syracuse all finished top 8 in ACC play last season
Their home-only ACC opponents are:
- Boston College, NC State, Virginia, Louisville
Their road-only ACC opponents are:
- Duke, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Does Clemson get back to the NCAA Tournament this season?
I think two (obvious) things need to happen:
- they need to be better offensively (which they should)
- they need more quality wins (which they will have plenty of opportunities to do so)
Regardless, this should be an entertaining and talented ACC team to watch this season.
Until next time!
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