The Clemson basketball team is not off to the best start against some of the better teams on the non-conference slate.

After surrendering a 21-point halftime lead and losing 67-64 to No. 10 BYU on a buzzer-beater in the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden, the Tigers dropped two spots in the NET Rankings to No. 27.

While Clemson is now a combined 1-3 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents, the Tigers are still ranked seven spots higher than they were in the debut of the rankings earlier this month.

Brad Brownell’s team has played two teams ranked inside the Top 15 in the last week, suffering narrow, hard-fought defeats each time.

“My guys keep playing, but we have to play better basketball against elite teams,” Brownell said after the BYU loss. “That is what we have played this week. We have played Alabama and BYU, two Top 15 teams in the country. We just haven’t quite played well enough for 40 minutes to beat them. We just have to get back to the drawing board and improve on a couple of things. As far as competitive fire and spirit, really proud of my team.”

Clemson Resume to Date

• Quad 1: 1-2
• Quad 2: 0-1
• Quad 3: 1-0
• Quad 4: 5-0

Clemson is off to a 0-2 start in true road games, and is 2-1 in neutral site contests. The Tigers are also a perfect 5-0 in Littlejohn Coliseum.

Clemson returns to action at home on Saturday as the Tigers will host Mercer at 3 p.m. on ACCNX.

Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images