The Clemson Tigers are looking to get back in the win column this week after back-to-back losses in ACC basketball play for the first time all season.
Clemson (20-6 overall, 10-3 conference) fell 76-66 to Virginia Tech at home last Wednesday and 67-54 to the Duke Blue Devils, the nation’s No. 3-ranked team as of Monday.
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The Tigers slowed the pace of the game at Cameron Indoor on Saturday, but a 21-5 burst from Duke to start the second half propelled the Blue Devils to another win on Coach K court. Carter Welling was Clemson’s leading scorer with 12 points, and RJ Godfrey was only other Tigers played in double figures with 10.
Clemson fell six spots to No. 24 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and out of the AP Top 25 poll.
The Tigers have games on tap against two teams hovering near .500: a road trip to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest (13-12) on Wednesday night before Florida State (12-13) visits the Upstate on Saturday.
Here’s a look at where Clemson basketball sits in the updated NET rankings and KenPom ratings after falling in an upset loss to Virginia Tech and at heavily favored Duke.
Clemson basketball drops in NET rankings, but only minimally
In the updated NET rankings, Clemson fell only one spot to No. 31 following losses to the Hokies and Blue Devils. The Tigers remain one spot ahead of the Auburn Tigers in the NET rankings and are one spot below Villanova.
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A breakdown of Clemson’s win-loss résumé:
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vs. Quad 1 opponents: 4-4
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vs. Quad 2 opponents: 6-2
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vs. Quad 3 opponents: 5-0
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vs. Quad 4 opponents: 5-0
The Tigers’ Quad 1 victories this season include their 97-94 overtime win over the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 23, a 64-61 win over the Syracuse Orange at JMA Wireless Dome on Dec. 31 in the ACC opener, and back-to-back wins at Stanford and California earlier this month.
Clemson’s loss to Virginia Tech dropped its record to 6-2 against Quad 2 opponents while their loss at Duke put the Tigers at 4-4 against Quad 1 foes.
Wednesday’s game against Wake Forest represents a chance for Clemson to earn a victory against a Quad 1 opponent on the Deacs’ home court, while Florida State is currently a Quad 3 opponent.
Clemson sees big drop in KenPom ratings after double-digit losses to Virginia Tech and Duke
Clemson fell six spots from last week to No. 34 in the KenPom ratings entering the week. The Tigers have an overall rating of +20.53, down from +22.05 last week.
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The KenPom metrics include a 95.1 rating for Clemson on defense that’s 15th nationally, down two spots from last week. The Tigers’ 115.6 rating on offense is 73rd nationally and down six spots from last week.
Clemson is one spot ahead of Texas A&M and one spot below Auburn in the overall KenPom team ratings entering Week 16.
Clemson basketball schedule 2026
Clemson faces Wake Forest at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday night at LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem. The game will be televised on ACC Network. The Tigers will face Florida State at noon ET Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson-FSU will be televised on The CW.
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Here’s a game by game look at Clemson’s 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule with only five games remaining in the regular season.
All start times Eastern.
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Nov. 3: vs. New Hampshire (W, 88-38)
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Nov. 7: vs. Gardner-Webb (W, 97-59)
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Nov. 11: vs. Morehead State (W, 83-56)
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Nov. 15: at Georgetown (L, 79-74)
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Nov. 17: vs. North Alabama (W, 81-61)
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Nov. 21: vs. West Virginia (W, 70-67)
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Nov. 23: vs. Georgia (W, 97-94, OT)
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Nov. 28: vs. Alabama A&M (W, 92-56)
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Dec. 9 vs. BYU (L, 67-64)
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Dec. 13: vs. Mercer (W, 70-63)
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Dec. 16: vs. South Carolina (W, 68-61)
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Dec. 21: vs. Cincinnati (W, 68-65)
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Dec. 31: at Syracuse (W, 64-61)
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Jan. 3: at Pittsburgh (W, 73-68)
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Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 74-70)
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Jan. 13: vs. Boston College (W, 74-50)
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Jan. 17: vs. Miami (W, 69-59)
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Jan. 20: vs. NC State (L, 80-76, OT)
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Jan. 24: at Georgia Tech (W, 77-63)
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Jan. 31: vs. Pittsburgh (W, 63-52)
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Feb. 4: at Stanford (W, 66-64)
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Feb. 7: at California (W, 77-55)
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Feb. 11: vs. Virginia Tech (L, 76-66)
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Feb. 14: at Duke (L, 67-54)
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Feb. 18: at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC Network
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Feb. 21: Florida State, Noon, The CW
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Feb. 28: vs. Louisville, TBD
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March 7: vs. Georgia Tech, Noon, ACC Network
Record: 20-6 overall.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson basketball falls several spots in latest KenPom ratings
