Clemson Appears in ESPN’s Latest Power Rankings
By: Gavin Oliver January 16, 2026

The Clemson men’s basketball team debuted in the Top 25 rankings when the latest Coaches Poll and AP Poll were released on Jan. 12, with the Tigers checking in at No. 21 in the Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the AP Poll.

Now, Clemson (15-3, 5-0 ACC) has made its first appearance of the season in ESPN’s men’s basketball Power Rankings.

ESPN released its latest Power Rankings on Jan. 15, and the Tigers went from being unranked to being No. 23.

Here’s what ESPN basketball recruiting insider Jeff Borzello wrote about Brad Brownell’s team, which is coming off a blowout 74-50 win over Boston College on Jan. 13 at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson:

Clemson has quietly won eight in a row and is off to a 5-0 start in ACC play after losing back-to-back close games to Alabama and BYU in early December. The Tigers have a real chance to stake a claim in the ACC standings over the next week, with home games against Miami and NC State. Win both, and suddenly Brad Brownell’s team is likely favored in its next five games before heading to Duke on Valentine’s Day. The Tigers currently have the best defense in the ACC, holding teams to 0.94 points per possession in conference play.

Thanks to its eight-game winning streak, Clemson’s last loss came on Dec. 9 to then-No. 10 BYU in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.

After the win over Boston College, the Tigers have now won a program-record 13 straight ACC regular season games dating back to last season.

During the first six games of Clemson’s eight-game winning streak, the Tigers won those six games by seven points or less. However, they have won the last two games against Notre Dame and BC by 15 and 24 points, respectively.

Clemson will host Miami on Saturday in Littlejohn Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2:15 p.m. on The CW.

Following the game against the Hurricanes, the Tigers will stay at home to face NC State on Tuesday, Jan. 20 (7 p.m., ACC Network).

Arizona is the No. 1 team in ESPN’s Power Rankings, with UConn, Michigan, Duke and Iowa State rounding out the top five.

Along with Clemson and Duke, other ACC teams in the Power Rankings include Virginia (No. 17) and North Carolina (No. 20) and Louisville (No. 25).