Clemson Tigers Basketball Duo Sneak Onto List of Top National Stars

The Clemson Tigers are going to be built around the talents of two of their top returning players from last season.

Mar 28, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) fouls Clemson Tigers guard Chase Hunter (1) in the second half in the semifinals of the West Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are picked to finish among the top teams in the ACC this year, and if they do it will be due in large part to the talents of Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin.

The latest honor for the pair is inclusion in CBS Sports’ Top 100 and 1 best players in college basketball entering the season.

The pair, however, might take issue with where they were selected.

Hunter, a 6-4 guard from Atlanta, Ga., was picked No. 91 on the list while Schieffelin, a 6-8 forward from Atlanta, was picked No. 99.

Hunter, a 6-4 returns for his sixth year of college basketball after he averaged 12.9 points, 3.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game last season. He’s spent his entire career at Clemson and began before the COVID-19 pandemic, giving him an extra year to play after he took a redshirt.

CBS’ analysis included a nod to Hunter being “… one of the best players in the ACC down the stretch run last season.”

Schieffelin is in his fourth and final collegiate season. He’s been a steady contributor at Clemson, but last year he was a full-time starter who averaged 10.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He was also named the most improved player in the ACC.

The departure of forward P.J. Hall allows him to play a much bigger role this year.

Both were named All-ACC second-team preseason selections by the ACC media as the Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the ACC this season.

The Tigers were the first team in the poll that didn’t get a first-place vote, but with 765 total points, they finished just ahead of Virginia. The Cavaliers just lost their coach, Tony Bennett, who retired last week.

Tigers coach Brad Brownell and the Tigers went to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980. Brownell has turned the Tigers into consistent winners since he arrived in 2010. The Tigers have won 265 games and since the 2017-18 season, Clemson has won 20 or more games four times and received three NCAA Tournament bids and two NIT bids.  

Clemson is making its final preparations for the start of the season. On Wednesday the Tigers will host Augusta in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers then open the season at Littlejohn Coliseum on Nov. 4 against Charleston Southern at 7 p.m., a contest that will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.