In its first game of 2026, Clemson men’s basketball beat Pitt 73-68 on Saturday afternoon at Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. On the back end of the holiday season, the Tigers improved to 12-3, 2-0 ACC on the season.
With their win, the Tigers are an astonishing 14-0 against Pitt since 2015, but it didn’t come easy.
With 15 lead changes and the contest tied for 5:37, the game felt as back-and-forth as a game of ping pong.
“It was kind of a game of momentum for both teams, really. A lot of short runs, not long runs, but a lot of 7-0 runs, 9-2 runs. It just felt like that kind of game, but thankfully for us, we kind of ended the game the right way with us winning the last run,” head coach Brad Brownell said.
In the second half, Clemson extended its lead to seven with less than 15 minutes to play. As the Tigers took their foot off the pedal, the Panthers floored it. They surged back to take the lead with less than 10 minutes remaining before an emphatic jam from Barry Dunning Jr. forced a Tiger timeout.
Down 53-56, momentum was building for Pitt.
Out of the timeout, Butta Johnson found space behind the 3-point line. Dillon Hunter found the open man. Johnson knocked it down.
Momentum killed.
Jestin Porter added a three shortly thereafter, and suddenly the Tiger Paw was back on the pedal. Clemson stayed confidently in front of Pitt for the remainder of the game. Porter ended with 21 points and three 3-pointers on six attempts.
The Tigers barely edged the Panthers on the glass, 28-27. Carter Welling led the effort with 10 rebounds. The Clemson center was two points shy of recording his second double-double of the season.
For the first time ever, Clemson basketball has won its first two ACC games while on the road for both. As a result, Brownell certainly believes his group is prepared for the ensuing 16-game ACC stretch that will take the Tigers to the end of the regular season.
“I think our team has improved a lot over the last month because we’ve practiced more. We’ve had more time for film,” he said. “We’ve had some two-a-days occasionally. I think it’s helped bring a team that … got 10 new guys, it’s helped us grow. So getting off to a good start with two wins just helps build our confidence as a group.”
Clemson’s next challenge is a home matchup against SMU (12-2, 1-0 ACC) at Littlejohn Coliseum. Last year, the Tigers went 2-0 against the Mustangs.
