CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson basketball climbed a notch from last season’s preseason rankings in both ACC polls released this week, with the men projected sixth and the women ninth.
The men’s media poll was finalized Oct. 12 and published around Oct. 13. Duke again sits atop the league forecast. Virginia, Louisville and Miami fill the next slots before North Carolina and then Clemson.
Freshman guard Harris Reynolds drew a single Rookie of the Year vote on the men’s side. League voters tapped Virginia sophomore forward Thijs De Ridder as the top preseason pick.
On the women’s ballot, compiled from 18 head coaches and 58 media members, Clemson landed ninth. Duke led that poll as well. Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo took the women’s top preseason honor, and Clemson freshman forward Kimora Fields made the all-freshman team.
Last season the men finished fifth after a seventh-place preseason slot, going 24-11 overall and 12-6 in league play. The women rose from an 11th-place preseason pick to a ninth-place finish at 21-12 (11-7 ACC) and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Neither Clemson squad received a first-place vote, and no returning Tiger earned an All-ACC nod or player-of-the-year consideration. Both teams open Nov. 2 at Littlejohn Coliseum — the women tip against Radford at noon, the men face Stetson at 7 p.m.
