The totality of Clemson’s latest basketball season will be revealed over the next four months or so.

But the Tigers began an important one under their veteran coach in the win column, though getting there wasn’t always comfortable.

Clemson opened the new season Monday by knocking off The Citadel at Littlejohn Coliseum. Even without the services of star big PJ Hall (knee), the Tigers still had four players score in double figures in their 80-69 win. Chase Hunter led the way with 23 points, tying a career high.

Ian Schieffelin’s first career double-double — 20 points and 14 boards — was a monster one. Hunter Tyson and Boston College transfer Brevin Galloway added 19 and 11 points, respectively, for the Tigers, who led by as many as 18 in the second half before holding off some late runs by the Bulldogs.

“These early games are hard,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “You don’t have as much information as you’d like, and it became a little bit of a matchup game in the second half.”

A recent exhibition romp over an overmatched Division II program not withstanding, Monday marked the Tigers’ competitive return to the court after a disappointing 17-16 season plagued by injuries and inconsistency. Clemson wasn’t part of college basketball’s postseason in any capacity last season, the first time that’s happened since 2017.

The Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 – their second appearance in the last three tournaments – but Clemson’s showing last season, which included a 10th-place finish in the 15-team ACC, prompted Graham Neff to publicly express his disappointment of the Tigers failing to dance for the ninth time in Brownell’s 12-year tenure. Clemson’s first-year athletic director made clear his expectations for the program in a letter penned to season-ticket holders.

Preseason projections weren’t high on the Tigers this season either as Clemson was picked by league media to finish 11th in the conference. But with five newcomers joining seven holdovers from last season’s team, Brownell touted the Tigers’ depth and versatility coming into it.

A Citadel team that lost all of its double-figure scorers off a 13-18 squad last season wasn’t the most accurate barometer when it comes to the current chemistry and cohesion of Clemson’s retooled roster, though the Bulldogs didn’t go quietly. Behind Austin Ash’s 19 points and 11 3-pointers as a team, The Citadel cut the deficit to single digits a handful of times in the second half, the last coming at 78-69 with less than 2 minutes remaining. But Hunter, who also dished out a career-high seven assists, found Schieffelin for a dunk on Clemson’s next possession, and the Bulldogs didn’t get any closer.

“Nobody’s selfish,” Hunter said. “Nobody wants to shoot all the shots. This game wasn’t us at fully our best, but we still came out with the win. That was good for us.”

Said Brownell, “A really good win against a gritty team.”

The lineup tinkering for Clemson started early with nine players getting some run within the first 6 minutes and change, but it was a familiar face that helped the Tigers overcome a sluggish start for some early breathing room.

The Citadel led by a couple of possessions 13 minutes into the game before the Tigers ended the first half on a 23-5 run. Hunter made seven of his first 10 shots to finish with 19 first-half points. The junior point guard had 11 points during that surge, including his third 3-pointer just before the buzzer to send the Tigers to the locker room with a 45-31 advantage.

“I told myself going into the game to just be aggressive,” Hunter said. “When you hit that first (shot), you just feel like you’re shooting it into an ocean. It was a great start.”

Ben Middlebrooks got the start at center in the absence of Hall, one of the most improved players in the ACC last season at 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. But Schieffelin ended up logging the most minutes at the position (31) and was highly productive with them. The sophomore forward went inside and out to make his first six shots en route to a career night, easily surpassing the previous career-high of 12 points that he scored against North Carolina in February.

“It felt good just to be able to dominate the game,” Schieffelin said. “With PJ out, somebody’s got to step up. Felt like it was me.”

What figures to be a much better gauge of where this Clemson team is early on comes Friday when the Tigers hit the road for the first time to take on rival South Carolina.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!