Clemson Tigers Defeats No. 24 SMU, Pick Up First Ranked Win of Season

In their first home game of 2026, the Clemson Tigers defeated the SMU Mustangs by a score of 74-70 at Littlejohn Coliseum on Wednesday night.

Clemson (13-3, 3-0 ACC) finally breaks the deadlock, picking up its first ranked win of the season. The Tigers lost three straight games against ranked opponents coming into this ACC matchup. Head coach Brad Brownell and his team also begins conference play perfect through their first three games.

Against the 14th-best scoring offense in the country, the Tigers made SMU (12-3, 1-1 ACC) frustrated, making the Mustangs play their style of basketball on Wednesday night. Scoring droughts, turnovers and struggles from the field allowed Clemson to form a lead and never give it away.

The Mustangs never quit, though. Andy Enfield’s team surged back with a late run with the help from guard Boopie Miller. His 14 second-half points cut the lead to as little as four, but it wasn’t enough in the win.

Late-game defensive possessions that were in Clemson’s favor helped seal the win in the final minute.

To open the first half, Clemson forced several scoring droughts on the Mustangs, being unable to convert from beyond the arc to begin the game. SMU struggled to get into a rhythm, shooting 16.7% from deep to open the half. The Tigers forced 11 turnovers in the 20-minute frame.

Brownell’s team went on a 17-4 run at one point to put the game into control. By halftime, Clemson held the Ponies to their lowest total in any half so far this season.

While SMU came out the second half hot, Clemson burnt the flame out quickly. After two back-to-back threes by Butta Johnson, the Tigers retained a strong lead before the late-game run by the Mustangs.

With the win, the Tigers picked up their second Quad 1 win of the season. Brownell’s team is now 2-2 in those games so far this season and will have plenty more opportunities during the final part of the season.

RJ Godfrey led the way for Clemson with 17 points and six rebounds. Carter Welling stuffed the stat sheet with six points, four rebounds and four assists, recording two steals in the win.

The bench, led by Nick Davidson and Johnson scored 27 points, 18 more than SMU’s second strings were able to find on Wednesday night.

The Tigers remain undefeated at Littlejohn Coliseum, being a perfect 8-0, so far this season.

Clemson will be back in action on Saturday, traveling to South Bend, Indiana, to play Notre Dame. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.