If you told Clemson basketball head coach Brad Brownell that the Tigers won their opening game against Stetson 85-72 before the game on Monday, he said he would’ve been as “happy as a lark.”

However, there’s more to the story: Clemson was outscored by 12 in the second half, and Brownell thinks that his team could’ve shown more in the last 20 minutes. 

After that contest on Monday, he spoke about the frustration to the media, keeping it simple with how he believed the team played in the second half of the opening win of the 2026-27 season. 

“It was bad, and I mean, it’s human nature,” Brownell said on Monday night. You’re up 25 or whatever it is and, no matter how many times you talk about it, you’re blue in the face.”

Despite being down 25 points in the second half, the Hatters outscored the Tigers 48-36 in the final frame, making 20 of their 35 attempted shots from the field and forcing seven turnovers by Clemson. Brownell has said before that the power of a big lead can lead to more confidence in shot-making by the losing team. 

That’s simply what Stetson was able to do throughout the final 20 minutes. 

“When you’re down like that, you just play with such a free mind, and so you shoot the ball better, you score better,” Brownell said. “It’s why you see runs happen.”

Clemson tried getting it together when Brownell called his first timeout at the 17:04 mark of the second half, when the Hatters went on a 9-2 run to open the half. He looked to unite the team to clean it up before things worsened. While the Tigers would fight back, their opponent would be the better team throughout that time. 

Brownell gives credit to the Hatters for the push. 

“This game was worrisome. They’ve got good inside players. You saw it,” he said. “They’ve got guys that can make threes that are dangerous, and, you know, we did a pretty good job early.”

Of course, it’s the first game of the season, meaning improvements will be imminent as the season goes on. The Clemson head coach also doesn’t want to harp on the negatives with a season that goes until potentially April. 

There are also positive takeaways, including how all the starters finished in double digits and were much more efficient from beyond the arc. 

“It got a little scattered, but our guys were ready to play and compete and that was a great first 20 minutes,” Brownell said. 

Clemson will be back in action on the hardwood at home against the American Eagles on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. with the game being broadcast on ACC Network Extra.