We are only a week and change away from Clemson's basketball season being underway. While Brad Brownell looks to guide the Tigers back into the NCAA Tournament, his team could be up against it right from the start. Much of last year's team is no longer with the program. The Tigers are dealing with major injuries at key positions, as well as a new cast of characters hoping to find their way soon.
Fortunately for the Tigers, they have a pair of exhibitions to help get ready for the 2026-27 campaign. It starts with the regional rival Georgia Bulldogs coming to town on Friday for a tipoff at Littlejohn Coliseum. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Clemson will host the Presbyterian Blue Hose to finish off exhibition play. Clemson's season starts in earnest on Monday, Nov. 2, against the Stetson Hatters.
With the regular season about to start, here are three questions Brownell needs to answer right away.
How will the depleted backcourt rotation look like right out of the gate?
It is impossible to talk about Clemson's offseason without mentioning the state of affairs in its backcourt. Dillon Hunter is still practicing with the team, hoping that he can get that final year of eligibility. If he can play, then that smooths everything out. If not, well, the Tigers better be ready to figure it out on the fly. Zac Foster tore his ACL again, so it will be Ace Buckner running the show now.
While Buckner should know what Brownell expects of him, this will be Cole Certa and Harris Reynolds' first seasons with the team. Certa transferred over from Notre Dame, as he is expected to start out on the wing with Liutauras Lelevicius. Reynolds is a true freshman who just won a state championship at St. Pius X in Atlanta. So much of it depends on whether Hunter will be eligible to play or not this year.
The good news is Brownell has a little runway to figure out how he wants to allocate his minutes here.
Is a new-look frontcourt ready to carry the load without Carter Welling?
Unfortunately, Clemson may not have its best player back until midseason. This is because big man Carter Welling is still working his way back from a torn ACL suffered in March. While Brownell did give a positive update on Welling's health, it will be up to the trio of Lelevicius, Dylan Faulkner, and David Fuchs to figure out the frontcourt in the meantime. None of them played at Clemson a season ago.
Lelevicius comes over from TCU after spending his first college season at Oregon State. Faulkner may be a local product, but this is his first year at Clemson. He spent last season at Samford and the two before that at Lipscomb. As for Fuchs, he played last year for San Francisco. Prior to that, Fuchs spent his first two seasons with Rhode Island. These new pieces will have to come together quickly.
The good news is Welling was able to find his footing quickly during his first season with Clemson.
Will Brad Brownell's coaching chops shine through amid real adversity?
Brownell has had tremendous staying power at Clemson. Over the last 16 years, he has led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament six times, including in each of the last three seasons. He has also led UNC-Wilmington and Wright State to the big dance before. While he had been courted by his home state's Indiana Hoosiers for their job a few years back, Brownell seems to be set on building on what he has.
Simply, this may have to be the best coaching job of Brownell's career up to this point. Clemson has reasonable expectations coming in. Most prognosticators have the Tigers as a top-six team in the ACC. Missing out on the NCAA Tournament would sound alarm bells. If he can demonstrate how good a coach he is, Clemson may be able to navigate its backcourt depth issues and revamped frontcourt.
If Clemson comfortably makes it back into the tournament, Brownell earned himself a lot of money.
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