Throughout the offseason, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell insisted this year’s new-look basketball team would be a work in progress early on.

With so many new faces, including three freshmen who are playing substantial minutes, Brownell was unsure how quickly his team would gel.

Seven games in, and it couldn’t be much better. The Tigers are now 6-1 after winning the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic over the weekend, with big non-conference wins over West Virginia and Georgia.

Both games came down to the wire, with Clemson overcoming a double-digit deficit in each. The Tigers prevailed in overtime against Georgia in the championship game, with transfer guard Jestin Porter leading the charge with 18 points.

“Just trying to build off those two wins and how we came together as a team,” Porter said. “I am glad we are figuring it out at the right time. I feel like every game we are coming along.”

Porter believes the latest two wins prove this Clemson team can play a physical brand of basketball.

“Just how tough we are,” he said. “Just playing through adversity. We have seen much adversity in the past few games, and this was a good test for us.”

Brownell was overly pleased with what he saw in the last two games. Not only did his team hold up from a physical standpoint, but the Tigers also showed they can win games in different ways and against vastly different types of quality opponents.

“It was great because it was two completely different teams in styles,” Brownell said. “West Virginia is very physical. Half court, grind it. (Georgia) is the opposite. It is full-court press up and down. It is transition. Handling different styles of pressure. And those things make your team better. This was a really good weekend for us to learn a little bit more about our team.”

Clemson returns home to face Alabama A&M on Friday at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ACCNX.