# 2023–24 Clemson Tigers men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Clemson Tigers men's basketball team represented Clemson University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers were led by 14th-year head coach Brad Brownell and played their home games at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Tigers began the season with nine straight wins. This included a one-point win over UAB and a three-point win over Davidson to claim the Asheville Championship. They continued their strong start to the season, upsetting twenty-third ranked Alabama in the ACC–SEC Challenge. They opened the ACC season with a nine-point win at Pittsburgh. They debuted in the national rankings at twenty-fourth before their rivalry game with South Carolina. They won that game and their ensuing game against TCU for their ninth win of the season. After the win, they achieved their highest ranking during the season of thirteenth. Their first defeat was by two-points against Memphis on December 16, 2023. They won their final two non-conference games to finish their non-conference season 10–1. Their non-conference success did not carry into the start of their ACC season as they lost four of their first five games. A loss to Miami (FL) and eigtht-ranked North Carolina dropped them to twenty-first in the rankings. Despite defeating Boston College and losing to Virginia Tech, the Tigers fell out of the rankings. A double-overtime loss to Georgia Tech capped the first five games. The Tigers won five of their next seven games, including only their second ever win at North Carolina. They lost by a point at twelfth-ranked Duke and also by a point to Virginia. They Tigers won four of their last six games including the completion of a season sweep against Pittsburgh and Florida State. They ended the season with a loss to Wake Forest. After the season, Ian Schieffelin was named ACC Most Improved Player, becoming the second Clemson player to win the award. PJ Hall was named to the All-ACC First Team.
The Tigers finished the season 24–12 and 11–9 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. As the sixth seed in the ACC tournament, were defeated by Boston College in the Second Round. They earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and were placed as the sixth-seed in the West region. They defeated eleventh-seed New Mexico in the First Round, third-seed Baylor in the Second Round and second-seed Arizona in the Sweet Sixteen. This advanced Clemson to only their second Elite Eight in program history. In the Elite Eight the Tigers lost in a rematch of an early season game against Alabama 82–89 to end their season.

## Previous season

The Tigers finished the 2022–23 season 23–11, 14–6 in ACC play, in a three-way tie for third place. As the third seed in the ACC tournament, they earned a bye into the Quarterfinals where they defeated sixth seed NC State for the third time during the season. They fell to second seeded Virginia in the semifinals. They were not selected for the NCAA tournament and were listed as the fourth team out on Selection Sunday. They received a first overall seed in the National Invitation Tournament. Despite being the first seed, and hosting, the Tigers lost to Morehead State in the first round to end their season.
Clemson started the season 6–0 in ACC play, for the first time since the ACC was created as a conference. Their previous best was in the 1996–97 season when they started 5–0. The Tigers continued their run by defeating Duke but then lost to Wake Forest to end their undefeated run. They won their next two games and were 9–1 at the halfway point of the conference season. This gave the team its best six, seven, eight, nine and ten game starts in conference history. The Tigers would set another program record on February 15, 2023, when they defeated Florida State 94–54 at home. This was the Tigers' widest margin of victory in ACC play, beating the previous record of a 34-point win in 1975.

## Offseason
### Departures

Clemson Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Hunter Tyson | 5 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Senior | Monroe, NC | Graduated/2023 NBA draft; selected 37th overall by Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Ben Middlebrooks | 10 | F/C | 6'10" | 232 | Sophomore | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Transferred to NC State |
| Brevin Galloway | 11 | G | 6'2" | 215 | GS Senior | Anderson, SC | Graduated |
| Chauncey Gibson | 13 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Freshman | Dallas, TX | Transferred to Tulsa |
| Devin Foster | 14 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Senior | Canton, MA | Walk-on; graduated |
| Jack Nauseef | 15 | G | 6'1" | 160 | Senior | Dayton, OH | Walk-on; graduated |

### Incoming transfers

Clemson incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Jake Heidbreder | 3 | G | 6'5.5" | 180 | Junior | Floyds Knobs, IN | Air Force |
| Jack Clark | 5 | G | 6'8" | 200 | GS Senior | Wyncote, PA | NC State |
| Joseph Girard III | 11 | G | 6'1" | 190 | GS Senior | Glen Falls, NY | Syracuse |
| Bas Leyte | 33 | F | 6'10" | 220 | GS Senior | Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands | UNC Greensboro |

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Asa Thomas #21 PF | Lake Forest, IL | Lake Forest Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jul 14, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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: "2023 Clemson Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023. "Clemson Tigers". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023. ||||||

### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Dallas Thomas #24 SF | Little Rock, AR | Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jul 11, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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: "2024 Clemson Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023. "Clemson Tigers". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m. | | Newberry | W 90–39 | – | 14 – Hall | 13 – Schieffelin | 3 – Tied | Littlejohn Coliseum (–) Clemson, SC |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Winthrop | W 78–56 | 1–0 | 20 – Hall | 7 – Schieffelin | 4 – Girard III | Littlejohn Coliseum (6,361) Clemson, SC |
| November 10, 2023* 9:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. UAB Asheville Championship semifinals | W 77–76 | 2–0 | 27 – Hall | 9 – Hall | 4 – Tied | Harrah's Cherokee Center (3,319) Asheville, NC |
| November 12, 2023* 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Davidson Asheville Championship game | W 68–65 | 3–0 | 17 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 5 – Girard III | Harrah's Cherokee Center (3,129) Asheville, NC |
| November 19, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Boise State | W 85–68 | 4–0 | 23 – Girard III | 9 – Schieffelin | 4 – C. Hunter | Littlejohn Coliseum (5,748) Clemson, SC |
| November 24, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | Alcorn State | W 90–69 | 5–0 | 29 – Hall | 10 – Schieffelin | 7 – C. Hunter | Littlejohn Coliseum (5,791) Clemson, SC |
| November 28, 2023* 9:30 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 23 Alabama ACC–SEC Challenge | W 85–77 | 6–0 | 21 – Hall | 14 – Schieffelin | 4 – Girard III | Coleman Coliseum (10,725) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 3, 2023 2:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Pittsburgh | W 79–70 | 7–0 (1–0) | 25 – Girard III | 17 – Schieffelin | 5 – C. Hunter | Petersen Events Center (7,713) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 6, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 24 | South Carolina Rivalry | W 72–67 | 8–0 | 15 – Wiggins | 12 – Schieffelin | 3 – Tied | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC |
| December 9, 2023* 4:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 24 | vs. TCU Basketball Hall of Fame Series Toronto | W 74–66 | 9–0 | 21 – Girard III | 10 – Godfrey | 5 – Schieffelin | Coca-Cola Coliseum (5,281) Toronto, ON |
| December 16, 2023* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 13 | at Memphis | L 77–79 | 9–1 | 21 – Hall | 11 – Schieffelin | 6 – Schieffelin | FedExForum (15,052) Memphis, TN |
| December 22, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 18 | Queens (NC) | W 109–79 | 10–1 | 27 – Hall | 6 – Tied | 6 – Girard III | Littlejohn Coliseum (6,871) Clemson, SC |
| December 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | No. 18 | Radford | W 93–58 | 11–1 | 24 – Girard III | 13 – Schieffelin | 5 – C. Hunter | Littlejohn Coliseum (7,276) Clemson, SC |
| January 3, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 16 | at Miami (FL) | L 82–95 | 11–2 (1–1) | 18 – Girard III | 11 – Schieffelin | 5 – Girard III | Watsco Center (6,800) Coral Gables, FL |
| January 6, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 16 | No. 8 North Carolina | L 55–65 | 11–3 (1–2) | 17 – C. Hunter | 11 – Schieffelin | 2 – Tied | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC |
| January 10, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 21 | at Virginia Tech | L 72–87 | 11–4 (1–3) | 15 – Schieffelin | 8 – Schieffelin | 4 – Girard III | Cassell Coliseum (8,925) Blacksburg, VA |
| January 13, 2024 3:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 21 | Boston College | W 89–78 | 12–4 (2–3) | 26 – Tied | 1 – Hall | 3 – Beadle | Littlejohn Coliseum (8,708) Clemson, SC |
| January 16, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | Georgia Tech | L 90–93 $^{2OT}$ | 12–5 (2–4) | 31 – Hall | 17 – Hall | 4 – Schieffelin | Littlejohn Coliseum (7,217) Clemson, SC |
| January 20, 2024 4:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Florida State | W 78–67 | 13–5 (3–4) | 14 – C. Hunter | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (10,033) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 27, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 12 Duke | L 71–72 | 13–6 (3–5) | 19 – Hall | 11 – Schieffelin | 4 – Schieffelin | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| January 30, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | Louisville | W 70–64 | 14–6 (4–5) | 25 – Hall | 8 – Schieffelin | 4 – Wiggins | Littlejohn Coliseum (6,760) Clemson, SC |
| February 3, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN | | Virginia | L 65–66 | 14–7 (4–6) | 19 – Hall | 9 – Schieffelin | 3 – Schieffelin | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC |
| February 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 3 North Carolina | W 80–76 | 15–7 (5–6) | 25 – Hall | 11 – Schieffelin | 5 – C. Hunter | Dean Smith Center (20,689) Chapel Hill, NC |
| February 10, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Syracuse | W 77–68 | 16–7 (6–6) | 18 – Girard III | 10 – Tied | 7 – C. Hunter | JMA Wireless Dome (23,050) Syracuse, NY |
| February 14, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Miami (FL) | W 77–60 | 17–7 (7–6) | 20 – C. Hunter | 11 – Schieffelin | 5 – Girard III | Littlejohn Coliseum (7,211) Clemson, SC |
| February 17, 2024 7:45 p.m., The CW | | NC State | L 77–78 | 17–8 (7–7) | 23 – Girard III | 7 – Tied | 3 – Girard III | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC |
| February 21, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Georgia Tech | W 81–57 | 18–8 (8–7) | 19 – Schieffelin | 6 – C. Hunter | 6 – C. Hunter | McCamish Pavilion (4,567) Atlanta, GA |
| February 24, 2024 7:45 p.m., The CW | | Florida State | W 74–63 | 19–8 (9–7) | 24 – Girard III | 11 – Tied | 4 – C. Hunter | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC |
| February 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | Pittsburgh | W 69–62 | 20–8 (10–7) | 15 – Tied | 12 – Schieffelin | 3 – Schieffelin | Littlejohn Coliseum (7,346) Clemson, SC |
| March 2, 2024 7:45 p.m., The CW | | at Notre Dame | L 62–69 | 20–9 (10–8) | 21 – Hall | 14 – Schieffelin | 3 – Schieffelin | Joyce Center (7,313) South Bend, IN |
| March 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Syracuse | W 90–75 | 21–9 (11–8) | 25 – Hall | 16 – Schieffelin | 5 – Clark | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC |
| March 9, 2024 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Wake Forest | L 76–81 | 21–10 (11–9) | 18 – Hall | 6 – Schieffelin | 4 – Hall | LJVM Coliseum (12,288) Winston-Salem, NC |
| ACC tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2024 9:30 p.m., ESPNU | (6) | vs. (11) Boston College Second Round | L 55–76 | 21–11 | 21 – Hall | 7 – Girard III | 4 – Schieffelin | Capital One Arena (13,445) Washington, D.C. |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2024 3:10 p.m., TruTV | (6 W) | vs. (11 W) New Mexico First Round | W 77–56 | 22–11 | 21 – C. Hunter | 12 – Schieffelin | 4 – Clark | FedExForum (12,754) Memphis, TN |
| March 24, 2024 6:10 p.m., TNT | (6 W) | vs. (3 W) No. 14 Baylor Second Round | W 72–64 | 23–11 | 20 – C. Hunter | 8 – Clark | 6 – C. Hunter | FedExForum (13,506) Memphis, TN |
| March 28, 2024* 7:09 p.m., CBS | (6 W) | vs. (2 W) No. 9 Arizona Sweet Sixteen | W 77–72 | 24–11 | 18 – C. Hunter | 8 – Hall | 6 – Girard III | Crypto.com Arena (19,625) Los Angeles, CA |
| March 30, 2024* 8:49 p.m., TBS/TruTV | (6 W) | vs. (4 W) No. 19 Alabama Elite Eight | L 82–89 | 24–12 | 19 – Girard III | 11 – Schieffelin | 6 – C. Hunter | Crypto.com Arena (19,227) Los Angeles, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 21 | RV | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | — | — | RV | 14 |
| Coaches | — | RV | RV | RV | 20 | 11 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 22 | RV | RV | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | 15 |

## Statistics

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
| PJ Hall | 36 | 36 | 28.9 | 48.8% | 31.5% | 77.9% | 6.4 | 1.4 | 18.3 |
| Joseph Girard III | 36 | 36 | 32.8 | 43.0% | 41.3% | 93.5% | 3.2 | 1.5 | 15.1 |
| Chase Hunter | 36 | 36 | 32.8 | 42.4% | 31.1% | 85.0% | 2.6 | 3.2 | 12.9 |
| Ian Schieffelin | 36 | 36 | 27.5 | 56.4% | 46.9% | 73.1% | 9.4 | 2.2 | 10.9 |
| RJ Godfrey | 36 | 0 | 15.5 | 59.4% | 42.9% | 62.7% | 3.4 | 0.8 | 6.1 |
| Chauncey Wiggins | 36 | 18 | 17.7 | 44.2% | 34.9% | 71.4% | 2.1 | 0.9 | 5.4 |
| Alex Hemenway | 5 | 0 | 15.6 | 38.1% | 42.1% | 50.0% | 0.6 | 1.4 | 5.2 |
| Jack Clark | 25 | 17 | 23.5 | 39.8% | 30.2% | 76.9% | 4.9 | 1.4 | 4.7 |
| Josh Beadle | 32 | 0 | 10.8 | 47.3% | 14.3% | 68.8% | 0.9 | 0.8 | 3.0 |
| Dillon Hunter | 36 | 1 | 14.7 | 39.3% | 25.7% | 42.1% | 1.6 | 1.3 | 2.3 |
| Bas Leyte | 20 | 0 | 4.5 | 54.5% | 33.3% | 40.0% | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Andrew Latiff | 5 | 0 | 1.6 | 25.0% | 0.0% | — | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Daniel Nauseef | 5 | 0 | 1.9 | 0.0% | 0.0% | — | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Matt Kelly | 5 | 0 | 1.8 | 0.0% | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Source: