Clemson basketball 2014-15 season preview

Clemson Tigers

2013-14 Record: 23-13, 10-8 in the ACC

Head coach: Brad Brownell

Tenure at Clemson: 5th season

Career coaching record: 241-143

Bench: C Sidy Djitte, F Josh Smith, G Austin Ajukwa

Overview: ACC coaches picked the Tigers to finish the 2014-15 season in the bottom third of the ACC and a large cause is the loss of K.J. McDaniels. The versatile small forward opted to leave Clemson early and was selected with the 32nd overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. McDaniels led the Tigers in scoring last season by a large margin, averaging 17.1 points per game—guard Rod Hall was second in points per game last season with 9.7. Without its leading scorer, Clemson will have to rally around Hall and fellow senior Damarcus Harrison for leadership on the court.

The Tigers added two freshmen to their squad this season, one of which may see some time off the bench. Forward Donte Grantham is a three-star recruit out of West Virginia who turned down offers from Michigan, Cincinnati and West Virginia to play for Brownell and with big-men something of a premium for this team, Grantham should have a definitive role as a substitute for Clemson. Junior center Landry Nnoko also has the potential to have a breakout season for the Tigers this year. Last year, Nnoko averaged just 6.5 points per game but was a stalwart defensively. Without McDaniels around, his offensive production should pick up as Clemson looks to spread the ball around the court.

The Tigers have about a month to warm up against mediocre competition before their first real test Dec. 7 against Arkansas. Clemson will then close out nonconference play against four weak squads before opening up ACC-play at home against North Carolina. Needless to say, it will be a tough road for this team once conference play gets going with the ACC widely regarded as the nation's dominant conference.

One thing that needs to go right: Clemson was one of the best teams in the country on the defensive side of the ball last season. The Tigers will have to maintain that high level of play defensively if they want to compete in the ACC.

One thing that could go wrong: The Tigers aren’t able to compensate for the loss of K.J. McDaniels and an already modest offense becomes absolutely anemic.