Clemson's thin roster faces unbeaten Georgetown in early test

Clemson Tigers's lack of depth will be tested when the Tigers host Georgetown Hoyas on Friday evening in a game between two undefeated teams.

The non-conference contest in Clemson, S.C., will be the first real test for both teams, each of whom struggled to put away their most recent opponent.

Clemson (3-0) is coming off a 92-77 win over North Dakota on Monday. The Tigers had a strong second half after trailing by two points at halftime.

Georgetown (3-0) showed its depth in an 83-78 victory over Delaware State on Tuesday, although the Hoyas needed a strong second-half effort to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit.

Clemson has been hampered by a shortage of players. The Tigers used only eight vs. North Dakota, and four starters played at least 30 minutes, with Ace Buckner logging 36 minutes. The load of heavy minutes likely will be unsustainable once the Tigers begin the grueling Atlantic Coast Conference schedule next month.

"Our lack of depth is hurting us because it's hard for us to be disruptive," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "We've got guys we don't want fouling. We can't get as extended. It makes it harder."

The Tigers have been limited by injuries. Carter Welling isn't expected back from March's ACL surgery until the first of the year. Zac Foster went down in October, tearing the same right ACL that was repaired in December 2025, and won't return. Dillon Hunter is ineligible pending the result of a lawsuit that seeks to grant him a fifth season.

"Getting Dillon eligible would help," Brownell said. "Harris (Reynolds) needs to play a little better, but that's part of what we're going to deal with. It just wasn't how we planned going into the season."

Buckner averages a team-leading 19.7 points for Clemson. Liutauras Lelevicius, a TCU transfer, averages 17 ppg and 8 rebounds; he scored 21 points against North Dakota.

Georgetown is trying to mesh eight new players into the team, including Kansas transfer Elmarko Jackson and Kentucky transfer Jaland Lowe.

"Give our men credit for how we were resilient coming out of the locker room at halftime," Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said after the Delaware State game. "I was surprised at the deficit, but at the same time, I learned a lot about our team. Looking forward to playing Clemson."

The Hoyas had five players in double figures in scoring against the Hornets, led by center Vince Iwuchukwu with a career-high 28 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He leads the team in scoring at 20.3 ppg.

Georgetown also leans on Lowe, who averages 18.3 points and a team-high 8.3 assists. He was named the Big East Player of the Week after averaging 22.5 points in two games, including getting a career-high 15 assists against Delaware State.

--Field Level Media