The national media is sleeping on Clemson basketball yet again, but history proves that ignoring a Brad Brownell-led squad is a one-way ticket to looking foolish.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello just dropped his way-too-early top 25, and—no surprise here—it’s packed with the usual suspects. When it comes to the ACC, the Tigers get snubbed while Louisville, Virginia, Miami, and North Carolina soak up all the preseason hype.
Conspicuously absent? Our Clemson Tigers.
Brad Brownell has been the picture of consistency for four straight seasons, so this kind of disrespect is just more fuel for the fire. Preseason lists are just noise once the ball is tipped in Tiger Town. Clemson lives for the underdog role, finishing top-six in the ACC every year for the past four, punching three NCAA Tournament tickets, storming to the 2024 Elite Eight, and riding the momentum of a two-win 2026 postseason run. The doubters never learn.
Now, with a reloaded, ultra-talented roster ready to roar for 2026-27, the Tigers are primed to keep that rocket ship pointed straight up.
An Explosive Core Returns
The mission to shut up the doubters starts with a homegrown core that bleeds orange. Brownell brings back a starting backcourt of redshirt sophomore Ace Buckner and sophomore Zac Foster—two Tigers with the kind of perimeter pop that already outshines last year’s group. If either one takes the reins as a go-to scorer, you can go ahead and pencil in an All-ACC selection.
Up front, Chase Thompson is back after a year of hard-earned lessons, ready to show off a more polished game. He’ll be joined by Trent Steinour, who’s set to take on a bigger role in year two, and the electric Dallas Thomas. Thomas was the Tigers’ top sniper from deep last season, and his shooting is a game-changer for a team that wants to make defenses sweat.
While star big man Carter Welling rehabs with his sights set on a January comeback—just in time for the ACC grind—Clemson’s frontcourt depth is more than ready to hold it down until he’s back in the paint.
Sizzling Additions via the Portal and High School Ranks
To erase the scoring droughts that sometimes haunted last year’s squad, Brownell went to work in the portal and loaded up on firepower:
- Cole Certa (Notre Dame): A lethal wing and certified sharpshooter who exploded for multiple 30-point games in conference play last February.
- Liutauras Lelevicius (TCU): A physical 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward who closed his Big 12 tenure with five double-digit scoring performances over his final seven games.
- David Fuchs (San Francisco) & Dylan Faulkner (Samford): A pair of decorated, all-conference big men who will provide immediate muscle and rebounding in the paint while Welling heals.
And it doesn’t stop with the transfers. The Tigers are adding a trio of true freshmen—Harris Reynolds, Amare James, and Will Stevens—who ooze potential. If history tells us anything, Brownell’s best teams are the ones with deep benches, and these three rookies could be the secret sauce that takes this group to another level.
The ACC is always a meat grinder, but writing off the Tigers before the first tip is a rookie mistake. Brownell’s teams make a habit of proving the so-called experts wrong every winter, and this loaded roster is built to make the national media regret sleeping on Clemson—again.
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