Clemson basketball releases nonconference schedule for 2023-24 season
The Clemson basketball program has released its nonconference schedule for the 2023-24 season, which includes multiple high-profile matchups.
The Tigers will host rival South Carolina, travel to NCAA Tournament participants Memphis and Alabama and also face TCU in a neutral site game this upcoming season.
Expectations are high for Clemson as Brad Brownell’s squad returns star forward PJ Hall, starting point guard Chase Hunter and other key pieces.
Clemson also brought in multiple impact players from the transfer portal, most notably former Syracuse star Joseph Girard. Here’s the full nonconference schedule, which begins with an exhibition against Newberry, before the season opener against Winthrop:
Clemson 2023-24 nonconference schedule
Wednesday, Nov. 1: vs. Newberry (Exhibition) 7 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 6: vs. Winthrop, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 10: vs. UAB (Asheville Championship) – Asheville, N.C., 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 12: vs. Maryland or Davidson (Asheville Championship) – Asheville, N.C., TBA
Sunday, Nov. 19: vs. Boise State, 1 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 24: vs. Alcorn State, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 28: at Alabama (ACC/SEC Challenge) – Tuscaloosa, Ala., 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 6: vs. South Carolina, TBA
Saturday, Dec. 9: vs. TCU (Hall of Fame Series – Toronto) – Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 4 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 16: at Memphis – Memphis, Tenn., TBA
Friday, Dec. 22: vs. Queens 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 29: vs. Radford 7 p.m.
Joseph Girard explains decision to stay in ACC, play for Tigers
As mentioned, Joseph Girard joining the program this offseason is a big reason why expectations are high for 2023-24. The sharpshooter ranked second in the ACC in scoring in league games, averaging 17.8 points per game last season.
Girard then entered the transfer portal and considered several schools, before ending up at Clemson. He spoke with Chris Spatola on SiriusXM about the process.
“To be honest, at first, it was a little nerve-racking for me. I didn’t know if I really wanted to [transfer to an ACC school], because with the experience and everything, you kind of want to see if you can play in a different environment, see if you can play a different style with all the other leagues that they offer,” Joseph Girard said.
“A lot of coaches with a few of the schools that recruited me, they would say, ‘Well, you don’t think they’re going to know you if you go to the PAC-12 or the SEC? I mean they kind of put it in a good perspective and it made sense. … Looking at it, there are a lot of pros to it. You’re familiar with all the teams, you’re familiar with all the arenas, you’re familiar with all the environments and you’ve been through it for four years.”