Clemson tackles Charleston Southern in opener with tournament return on its mind

After a memorable run to the Elite Eight in March, how the Clemson men's basketball team performs early this season ranks among interesting storylines in the new-look Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Tigers tip off the 2024-25 season on Monday against visiting Charleston Southern. Clemson has never lost to the Buccaneers, posting 20 consecutive victories dating to their first meeting in 1975.

Clemson's reshaped roster no longer features big man PJ Hall, who signed a two-way contract with the NBA's Denver Nuggets in July. The Tigers were left out of the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll despite winning 24 games and reaching the West Region final of the NCAA Tournament against Alabama a season ago, but they figured prominently when it came to forecasting the ACC, which now includes SMU, California and Stanford.

Head coach Brad Brownell's team placed fourth out of 18 schools in the ACC preseason poll behind top vote-getter Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest. Senior forward Ian Schieffelin and sixth-year guard Chase Hunter -- both named preseason Second Team All-ACC -- are major reasons why Clemson received its highest preseason prediction since 2010 when the Tigers were picked to finish third.

"I think we know what it takes, and we can just express that with the new guys and show them the ropes, and I think we'll have a good chance to get back to where we were," Schieffelin said during the ACC Tipoff event.

Coming off a 10-20 (6-10 Big South) season, Charleston Southern placed fifth in the Big South Conference preseason poll. The Buccaneers bring back their top three scorers from last season in senior forward Taje' Kelly (preseason First Team All-Big South) as well as the guard tandem of RJ Johnson and A'lahn Sumler, both named preseason Second Team All-Conference.

"We are very excited for this year and the conference season," Buccaneers head coach Saah Nimley said. "We are going to test ourselves early in the nonconference and that will prepare us for league play."

--Field Level Media