What Ace Buckner’s Emergence Means for Clemson Basketball

Saturday afternoon was a rough watch for Clemson Tigers fans, no matter what expectations they had heading into this season.

The Tigers dropped a fourth straight contest, falling, 70-65, to a surging Florida State Seminoles team. With the defeat, Clemson continued a freefall that has spanned over two weeks.

However, Saturday wasn’t without a meaningful development.

Redshirt freshman guard Ace Buckner caught fire in the first half against FSU, flashing the potential that Tigers fans have been waiting to see.

His back-to-back 3-pointers with nearly two minutes remaining before halftime had a near-capacity crowd at Littlejohn Coliseum on its feet. For a stretch, Buckner looked like the perimeter scoring threat Clemson has desperately needed in ACC play.

“There were some open shots, and he was knocking them down,” head coach Brad Brownell said told Clemson Tigers on SI about Buckner’s performance. “Obviously, he did knock a ball or two loose, and got into the open court… Ace has been really good. He’s been aggressive, which is what he is. I think he's played very well most of the year, including this stretch. He just didn't play quite as well tonight in the second half.”

ACE OF BUCKETS🪣

Ace hits back-to-back 3s, the redshirt freshman has 13 points so far

📺The CW pic.twitter.com/jyQBll4Xpk
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) February 21, 2026

That second half told a different story. Buckner was held to a mere 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting after the break, including 0-for-4 from three-point range. Florida State packed the paint, forcing perimeter threats like Buckner to heave up outside shots.

“Clemson is really, really good in the paint,” Florida State head coach Luke Loucks said postgame. “It’s their game plan. When the ball gets near the paint, we wanted to swarm and force the kick-out, and attempt to force them to play a game they’re not comfortable with, and that’s shooting a lot of threes.”

The Seminoles packed the paint, collapsing on drives inside and daring Clemson to beat them from the perimeter. It didn’t happen. Brownell’s team shot just 30 percent from behind the arc (10-for-33), much less efficient than Florida State’s 42 percent (10-for-24).

The 33 3-pointers attempted by the Tigers are their most against an ACC opponent this season, and third-most against any opponent.

That’s the throughline. Opposing defenses will likely continue to force Clemson to beat them from the outside, requiring 3-point shooters to be on point. Buckner proved – even if only for a half – that he could be a valuable piece to counter that defensive strategy.

The Tigers have a week off before welcoming the 21st-ranked Louisville Cardinals to Littlejohn Coliseum for a 2 p.m. tip-off. Last season, Louisville defeated Clemson twice, including in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C.