Gutting it out: Clemson basketball picks up key ACC win over No. 24 SMU
Clemson men’s basketball has started 3-0 in the ACC for the third time in the last four seasons. The Tigers pulled it off with a signature, gritty performance.
Clemson upset No. 24 SMU 74-70 on Wednesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum, holding one of the country’s top offenses in check and scoring a Quad 1 win in the process.
The Mustangs aren’t world-beaters — the Tigers, despite being the unranked team in the matchup, were actually favored by 3.5 points. But SMU was coming off an impressive upset of UNC and was Clemson’s toughest league game to date.
Coach Brad Brownell’s Tigers were up to the challenge.
Clemson led by double digits the majority of the game and by 13 points in the second half before SMU roared back and cut its deficit to just four points (71-67), with 46.6 seconds remaining and possession of the ball.
But a few final defensive stops clinched a win for Clemson, which moved to 13-3, 3-0 in the ACC and 8-0 this season and picked up a win that should reflect well on its end-of-season NCAA Tournament résumé. SMU dropped to 12-3 (1-1 ACC).
Senior forward RJ Godfrey scored a team-high 17 points on 6-7 shooting with six rebounds, while guard Efrem “Butta” Johnson (10 points, team-high three 3-pointers) and forward Nick Davidson (nine points) played big roles off the bench in Clemson’s ACC home opener and first home game of the new year.
Despite a 9:05 p.m. tip-off, the game was played in front of a sizable crowd of 8,164 at Littlejohn Coliseum (Clemson’s second best attendance all season).
“Our guys did a nice job throughout the course of most of the second half of keeping them at bay, and that’s hard to do against a team that talented offensively,” Brownell said. “... An unbelievable team win with a lot of different guys contributing.”
Game recap
SMU entered as the ACC’s No. 1 scoring offense and No. 9 nationally in that metric at 91.5 points per game. They were coming off a 97-point outing in their league opener.
But Clemson forced the Mustangs to play a grittier first half.
Boosted by a good opening frame from freshman forward Chase Thompson, Clemson led by as many as 13 in the first half and took a 34-25 lead into the break. SMU’s 25 first-half points were almost 19 fewer than its season average (43.6).
After a forgettable start to the second half, Johnson, a first-year transfer guard from UAB, hit back-to-back deep 3-pointers to bring Clemson’s lead back up to 13 points (50-37) and force an SMU timeout with 14 minutes to go.
A rough run of 2 of 11 shooting combined with five straight makes by SMU caught up with Clemson, though. The Mustangs cut their deficit to just six points (64-58) with 4:22 remaining, which forced Brownell to call timeout.
SMU guard Boopie Miller was a big part of his team’s late surge, scoring 14 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. Clemson also struggled to defend towering 7-foot-2 SMU center Samet Yiğitoğlu (14 points, 11 rebounds).
The teams kept trading blows, and two free throws from Miller cut Clemson’s lead to just four points (71-67) with 1:30 left in the contest. The Mustangs had the ball with 46 seconds left down four points, with a chance to cut it to a possession.
But Miller whiffed on a short shot in the paint with 22 seconds left and missed a contested 3-pointer on SMU’s next possession after Clemson forward Jake Wahlin added a free throw (72-67). Two more free throws from Tigers guard Dillon Hunter after Miller’s second miss sealed the game at 74-67, though SMU’s Jaron Pierre Jr. hit a three at the buzzer to cut the final margin to four points.
SMU outscored Clemson 45-40 in the second half, but the Mustangs’ 70 points and 37.3% field-goal percentage were both their second worst marks in 15 games this season. Both teams were whistled for 20-plus fouls in a physical game.
“We beat ourselves a lot, especially in the first half,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said postgame. “... We played horrible offensive basketball — just not tough enough.”
For Clemson, it’s the program’s second year in a row starting at least 3-0 in conference and third time in the last four seasons. The Tigers, considered a No. 8 NCAA seed at this moment by most bracketologists, also earned their first win against a Quad 1 team since beating now-No. 18 Georgia in November.
Clemson moved up one spot to No. 32 in Thursday’s updated NCAA NET rankings after beating SMU and is now a combined 6-2 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games.
“We’ve got the confidence now to finish (close) games,” Hunter said. “We had a lot of new guys and they hadn’t been in the league. ... Now everybody’s contributing where they need to contribute and playing a role. We’re looking good.”
Next four Clemson MBB games
- Saturday: at Notre Dame, 6 p.m. (ESPN2/U)
- Jan. 13: vs. Boston College, 7 p.m. (ACCN)
- Jan. 17: vs. Miami, 2:15 p.m. (The CW)
- Jan. 20: vs. NC State, 7 p.m. (ACCN)
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 11:25 PM.
