What we've learned about Clemson men's basketball early in the season

Buckner (21) is averaging 13.7 points per game and adds energy on the defensive side, backing his head coach's words about his competitive nature.

Grayson Mann · Staff Writer · Wednesday, November 12 2025

Plenty can change in just a few years.

When Clemson faced Morehead State on Tuesday night, it served as a brief reminder of how much can change over the course of multiple seasons.

Speaking of change, Brad Brownell's new-look roster is off to a 3-0 start, taking down the Eagles 83-54 as all eyes turn to Georgetown for a Saturday clash in Washington, D.C.

What will that matchup tell us about a different and exciting roster that Brownell carefully crafted over the offseason?

We have three games of evidence to pull from, and here is what we have learned about this Clemson team early into the year.

Clemson's more glaring weakness may be at the glass

It may be early to cast judgment on what the Tigers' most glaring weakness three games in, but the ability to crash the boards with relative ease may be a thing of the past.

Ian Schieffelin might've been one of the best pure rebounders in college basketball, and it didn't hurt to have Viktor Lahkin down low for easy rebounds.

That dynamic has changed with no true center on this roster, and while it may seem insignificant, the team has RJ Godfrey taking the opening tip instead of a traditional big.

Morehead State out-rebounded Clemson 41-40 on Tuesday night, securing 19 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points to make Tuesday's result more uncomfortable than it likely needed to be.

Facing some of the bigger teams in the ACC, that challenge will only continue to grow.

Heading into a tougher gauntlet of the non-conference schedule, Brownell acknowledged that this team has to get tougher as the competition grows.

"We have to become a little bit more physically tough team," Brownell said. "Obviously we have a lot of young guys. That's a big step up. And we have some guys that even have played at lower levels, mid major basketball and the level is going to be different with the physicality. And so, there's no question that handling those kinds of things consistently will be another step. And we talked about that after the game today."

Brad Brownell found gems in the portal...again

Brownell is pretty good at this portal thing.

Entering a crucial offseason, the Tiger staff got to work reconstructing a roster that needed a strong insertion of talent.

Clemson's offense is likely going to be by committee instead of one true scorer leading the unit, but there's a lot to like with this collective group.

Last night, Utah transfer Jake Wahlin caught our attention in a big way. When he transferred to Clemson, his ceiling seemed to be that of a role player who might be relegated to smaller minutes as time went on.

His play has dictated quite the opposite.

Wahlin has a smooth jumper, and can score at all three levels. Against Morehead State, Wahlin, who is a career 32 percent three-point shooter, went 4-6 from deep, securing his second game in double figures for the Tigers.

He led the team with 14, while bringing plenty of toughness on the defensive end. If Clemson gets that type of play from him, this group's ceiling is raised astronomically.

While it was a quiet night for Nick Davidson, the Nevada transfer can get things rolling for the offense, displaying that against Gardner-Webb and New Hampshire.

Throw Carter Welling into the mix, who continues to get healthier, and this group's potential will only grow with time.

RJ Godfrey is technically a transfer, but it feels like that was a one-year rental for Georgia, with Godfrey's love for Clemson and Brownell being too strong to stay away. Clemson fans know what they are getting from Godfrey, and that consistency has been valuable early.

This freshman class is legit

Clemson's freshman class is impressive, and it doesn't take long watching the game to see it.

We raved about the potential of Zac Foster and Chase Thompson, and that has been as advertised. As Brownell puts it, Foster is still finding "the right shots" to make, joking that the former four-star guard is no longer in high school.

Foster just glides down the court with a different speed than his counterparts. There is undoubtedly a reason why the freshman is so confident in his ability, and more time on the floor will only do him good as he grows into a serious talent.

For Thompson, he won't light up the stat sheet this year, but there's value in having someone that young with such a cerebral presence on the court.

There are occasional switches or cuts that young players make, which often display inexperience, but Thompson consistently makes the right play.

We certainly won't forget to rave about Ace Buckner, who is the best of both worlds.

Brownell has joked that they have to find the brakes for Buckner, who never slows down, but on the court, it looks like the game moves more slowly for someone who only has a few games to his name.

Buckner is averaging 13.7 points per game and adds energy on the defensive side, backing his head coach's words about his competitive nature.

Regardless of the outcome this season, the Tigers have some young talent that will lead this program to new heights for the next several years.