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Clemson Basketball Adding More Opponents to Non-Conference Schedule

Head coach Brad Brownell's schedule out of the ACC is almost complete, and the Clemson Tigers should have their hands full with their opponents.
Griffin Barfield|
Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell added North Dakota and Auburn to his non-conference schedule in the 2026-27 season.
Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell added North Dakota and Auburn to his non-conference schedule in the 2026-27 season. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

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Clemson Tigers

Despite no games happening for the Clemson Tigers on the hardwood for the next few months, they’re already learning more about what their 2026-27 season will look like. 

After the ACC schedule was released a week ago, two more non-conference opponents were revealed on Thursday. Clemson will host North Dakota at Littlejohn Coliseum in one of the first games of the year. That will take place on Nov. 9. 

Then, that night, the ACC/SEC Challenge matchups were set. For head coach Brad Brownell, his team will play another group of Tigers in Auburn. That will also take place at Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday, Dec. 1. 

The Tigers’ game against the Bison is an historic matchup, with it being the program’s first-ever matchup with a school in either North or South Dakota. Especially in the first two weeks of the season, it should end up being Clemson’s most difficult game of the early going before heading to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. 

Meanwhile, with Auburn, it’s a program that the Tigers have seen frequently in the past. The December matchup will be the 29th all-time meeting between the programs. The last time Auburn and Clemson played was in the Round of 32 in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. It was an historic win for Brownell, winning 84-53 and going to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1997. 

Since the ACC/SEC Challenge began in 2023, Clemson has seen Alabama twice, both in Tuscaloosa, and Kentucky at home, which was a major upset against the No. 4 team in the country. 

The two matchups put the Tigers’ total non-conference games that have been confirmed 10 of 14 opponents. Whether Brownell wants to make it more difficult with another Quad 1 or 2 opportunity or go with another buy game will be revealed in upcoming weeks. 

Clemson’s non-conference schedule received a boost with the Auburn matchup, but it has had a strong opponent list from various tournaments and home-and-home contests that have yet to be finished. The Maui Invitational features the likes of Arizona, BYU, Ole Miss, Providence, VCU, Colorado State and Washington, with the Tigers getting at least three of those opponents. 

Brownell also hosts Georgetown in the second match of the home-and-home that began in Washington D.C. last season. The same goes for Cincinnati, which will play in that city for a neutral-site, home-and-home style series.

As for the rest of the opponents, Clemson will open the regular season with Stetson on Nov. 2. The other confirmed matchup will be against The Citadel, which will take place on Nov. 16 at Littlejohn. 

The other confirmed contests, with every season, is the rivalry matchup with South Carolina, which will take place in Columbia at a confirmed later date.

Brownell’s seeing his 2026-27 schedule come into fruition, and once again, Clemson should have matchups filled with getable wins, opponents of higher levels and buy-in games that the Tigers shouldn’t lose.

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Griffin Barfield
GRIFFIN BARFIELD

Griffin is a communications major who was the Sports Editor for The Tiger at Clemson University. He led a team of 20+ reporters after working his way up through the ranks as a staff writer, sideline reporter, and assistant sports editor.

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