Derrian CarterGreenville News
CLEMSON —The bar has been raised for Clemson.
The basketball team made the Elite Eight for the first time in 44 years, and the baseball program reached its first NCAA super regionals since 2010. The football team eyes a return to the now 12-team College Football Playoff, and men's soccer is going for its second straight national championship. The Tigers are also set to share the ACC with SMU, Stanford and California.
Before the new season begins, let’s look back at the year that was for Clemson athletics.
Here’s the report card for the on-field performance for the Tigers’ major teams during the 2023-24 academic calendar.
Football: C+
There's no sugarcoating that it was a disappointing year for coach Dabo Swinney and his program. Not only did Clemson miss the playoffs for the third straight season, they did not reach the ACC championship either.
The Tigers started the season with a 4-4 record, losing to Duke by 21 points in the season opener and dropping one-possession games to Florida State, Miami and NC State.
Clemson earned its satisfactory grade because of how it finished the year. It won five straight games, averaging 31.6 points while holding opponents to 21.2 points per game. During that stretch, the Tigers defeated ranked Notre Dame and North Carolina and built optimism heading into 2024.
Men’s basketball: A
CoachBrad Brownell added veteran transfer players to complement his team's emerging talent, and Clemson did not disappoint. It started the season with an 11-1 record but began conference play with a 2-4 record, raising concerns about the team's chances of making the NCAA tournament.
That changed quickly with the Tigers finishing with an 11-9 record in ACC play to make the NCAA tournament for the third time in seven years under Brownell. As a No. 6 seed, the Tigers defeated No. 11 seed New Mexico, No. 3 seed Baylor and No. 2 seed Arizona to make it to the doorstep of the Final Four.
Alabama knocked off Clemson in the Elite Eight, but the Tigers' run made them become one of 24 schools to advance to a Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in separate seasons since 2018.
Women’s basketball: F
Women’s basketball started the season 3-0, but it went downhill from there. Clemson allowed the second-most points in the conference (70.3 per game), endured a seven- and five-game losing streak and lost in the ACC tournament first round by 13 points.
The Tigers finished with a 12-19 record to miss the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight season, which led to coach Amanda Butler being fired. Clemson hired former Chattanooga coach Shawn Poppie to revive Tigers' women's basketball.
MORE ON CLEMSON SPORTS: Ranking Clemson's top sports moments in 2023-24 from national title to ending droughts
Baseball: A
Coach Erik Bakich's second year at the helm was a massive success. Clemson won the ACC's Atlantic Division and earned the No. 6 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
Last season, the Tigers were a No. 4 overall seed and hosted their own regional but failed to make it out. Bakich's team rebounded this year, going 3-0 in the Clemson Regional to advance to the NCAA super regionals.
Florida won two straight to eliminate the Tigers in the Clemson Super Regional, but they battled in each game and displayed they will be a looming threat in college baseball.
Softball: B-
Softball regressed from the norm it set in 2022 and 2023 when it made two straight NCAA super regionals. Clemson's 2024 season ended in the Tuscaloosa Regional after losing twice to No. 3 seed Southeastern Louisiana.
The Tigers' senior class shined, especially McKenzie Clark and Regan Spencer, but star player Valerie Cagle battled injuries all season that contributed to Clemson's 35-19 record. It won fewer conference games and had a worse overall record compared to 2023.
Men’s soccer: A+
The Tigers won their second College Cup in three seasons after defeating Notre Dame 2-1 in December. It marked Clemson United's fourth national championship, the most of any program at Clemson.
Coach Mike Noonan’s team had the best winning percentage in the ACC and has built a juggernaut program that eyes back-to-back titles in 2024.
Women’s soccer: A
Women's soccermade its first NCAA Tournament semifinal. Clemson finished third in the ACC and made the ACC championship, increasing its win totals overall and in conference play from 2023.
In the NCAA tournament, the Tigers defeated Radford and Columbia, tied with Georgia and beat Penn State to advance to the College Cup. They fell to the eventual champion Florida State in the semifinals.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him atdcarter@gannett.comand follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
