What Brad Brownell had to say after Clemson basketball beat Notre Dame

Brad Brownell reflects on Clemson basketball’s win at Notre Dame

“Just a very good road win for us. Notre Dame just plays so hard. They’re so good defensively, hard to score against. I thought we did some good things defensively, as well. They obviously made some 3’s. (Jalen) Haralson making 3’s probably surprised us a little, but I thought we were good. We were active. This guy, (Jestin Porter), was great in terms of knocking some balls down and got us some fast break layups, which was a big turning point in the game.

“But I’m just proud of our guys. I thought, quick turnaround for us with a 9 p.m. start on Wednesday, and I thought our guys were very focused and they really executed some good things on offense, too. We didn’t turn the ball over much. We handled some of the double teams, which was something we practiced. So, very good road win against a very well-coached team.”

How is Notre Dame basketball different without top scorer Markus Burton? Brad Brownell explains

Burton suffered an ankle injury in Notre Dame’s win at TCU on Dec. 5 and has not played since. Prior to that, he led the Fighting Irish in scoring with 18.5 points per game.

Brownell was asked by a reporter how different Notre Dame looks without the talented junior.

“Haralson has the ball in his hands a lot. (Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry) and his staff are doing a really good job. That’s a tough injury (when) your all-conference player and a guy who the ball’s in his hands, who you’re planning your team around goes out. I think they’ve adjusted nicely and had some good wins, and they’ve done it by giving Haralson the ball a good bit, leaning into their 3-point shooting.

“And then defensively, maybe they’re a little bigger obviously with Markus not being out there. I think defensively they’re always really good. Just tremendous defensive discipline. You’ve got to really execute to get good shots against them.”

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Clemson coach Brad Brownell praises Jestin Porter for defensive aggressiveness

“He’s got really good speed. I think sometimes guys like that who are small are harder to screen. They can maneuver through some screens sometimes. I also think a little bit that they’re not seen as easily and so crosscourt passes, you don’t maybe notice them quite as much, and then he’s jumping out and knocked a couple (shots) down. Those were big plays certainly to get us some easy baskets. In a game where it’s hard to score, those were important.”

Brad Brownell talks about Clemson basketball’s success on the road

“I think our guys really like each other. I think they’re enjoying the time together. I think when we’re on the road, we’ve got a good routine that we follow in terms of getting our guys prepared, both mentally and physically. I think our guys are playing with good confidence. And then I think we have some depth, and so when it’s not one or two guy’s night, it’s a good chance that somebody else has got a good chance to play well. I think that’s what’s happened with our team. We found ways to have three guys or more play well on the same night, because we have seven, eight, nine guys that can all contribute.”

Watch Brownell’s full press conference, including comments from guard Jestin Porter, after Clemson’s win over Notre Dame Saturday night.

Clemson basketball schedule 2026: Who do Tigers play next?

Clemson returns to the court Tuesday night against the Boston College Eagles (7-9, 0-3) at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tipoff for Clemson-Boston College is 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ACC Network.

Here’s a look at the Tigers’ full 2025-26 men’s college basketball schedule.

All start times Eastern.

Nov. 3: vs. New Hampshire (W, 88-38)

Nov. 7: vs. Gardner-Webb (W, 97-59)

Nov. 11: vs. Morehead State (W, 83-56)

Nov. 15: at Georgetown (L, 79-74)

Nov. 17: vs. North Alabama (W, 81-61)

Nov. 21: vs. West Virginia (W, 70-67)

Nov. 23: vs. Georgia (W, 97-94, OT)

Nov. 28: vs. Alabama A&M (W, 92-56)

Dec. 3: at Alabama (L, 90-84)

Dec. 9 vs. BYU (L, 67-64)

Dec. 13: vs. Mercer (W, 70-63)

Dec. 16: vs. South Carolina (W, 68-61)

Dec. 21: vs. Cincinnati (W, 68-65)

Dec. 31: at Syracuse (W, 64-61)

Jan. 3: at Pittsburgh (W, 73-68)

Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 74-70)

Jan. 10: at Notre Dame (W, 76-61)

Jan. 13: vs. Boston College, 7 p.m., ACC Network

Jan. 17: vs. Miami, 2:15 p.m., The CW

Jan. 20: vs. NC State, 7 p.m., ACC Network

Jan. 24: at Georgia Tech, noon, ACC Network

Jan. 31: vs. Pittsburgh, noon, ACC Network

Feb. 4: at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACC Network

Feb. 7: at California, 8 p.m., ACC Network

Feb. 11: vs. Virginia Tech, 7 p.m., ACC Network

Feb. 14: at Duke, noon, ESPN

Feb. 18: at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC Network

Feb. 21: Florida State, noon, TBD

Feb. 28: vs. Louisville, TBD

March 3: at North Carolina, 7 p.m., TBD

March 7: vs. Georgia Tech, noon, ACC Network

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