The Tigers 2026-2027 campaign kicked off on Monday night at home against the Stetson Hatters with a quality 85-72 victory.
The first bucket of the year went to the highly-sought after transfer, Dylan Faulkner. The two-handed slam opened the scoring, and the Tigers led 10-7 at the first media timeout.
Head coach Brad Brownell, entering his 17th season with the program, was very candid about the challenge of molding new staff and transfer pieces, and it certainly took Clemson some time to get going.
Shooting only 36% through the first six minutes, the Tigers eventually started getting the Hatters in foul trouble to help put some separation on the scoreboard. After a few free throws, sophomore Chase Thompson nailed a corner 3-ball, and the offense finally began to come alive from there.
Clemson executed a flawless baseline in-bounds to stretch the lead to 22-10 just before the under-12 media timeout, which was the result of Stetson’s fourth turnover of the half.
The most impressive thing I noticed during the first 10 minutes were the improvements of the passing game around the perimeter and inside. The Tigers didn’t commit a turnover until less than 90 seconds in the half, and even though Clemson didn’t finish every play, it felt like they were getting the ball to the open man on the majority of possessions throughout the half. The Tigers eventually stretched the lead to as much as 25 points, and closed the half on a 12-0 run to hit the break up 49-24 over the Hatters.
Ace Buckner led all scorers at the break with 12 points, including a 5-for-5 mark at the free throw line. Faulkner snagged six rebounds, and the Tigers overall shot 50% from the field.
The second half was much more contested through the first media timeout, with the Hatters actually having an 11-8 edge in scoring before the first break, but the gap remained a large amount for Stetson to overcome. However, it was evident Clemson had given up some effort on the defensive side, even failing to secure back to back rebounds on one possession that eventually ended in an and-1 conversion for the Hatters. The next play, Buckner’s bad turnover led to a breakaway steal, and Stetson had life.
Life was short-lived as Buckner responded with back to back three pointers, and the Tigers eventually stretched the lead back to 20 points. Just when it seemed like Clemson could coast to the end, an offensive possession ended in Buckner down on the floor, clearly in pain. Littlejohn Coliseum fell silent, but the good news is that it appeared to be just cramps, and Buckner was back just a few minutes later.
Stetson never got back to single digits in the game, and the Tigers would go on to win, 85-72.
The explosive first half was not repeated in the second, and that feels like the unfortunate ending to an otherwise good game from the Tigers. Clemson really needed the cushion they built in the first half because they were outplayed in the second, outscored by the Hatters, 48-36. It was a disappointing finish, but the Tigers are 1-0 nonetheless. Ace Buckner finished with a career-high 20 points, but the biggest takeaway was the impact of Dylan Faulkner. Faulkner finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds with five added assists. The combination of Faulkner and Fuchs makes me excited to think about what they duo could do with Welling returning later in the season. The return of Zac Foster will also add some key depth.
The Tigers will be back in action on Friday night when they host American at 7 p.m.
