Clemson sponsored its first men's basketball team in 1911–12, winning its first conference championship in 1939 and the ACC regular season in 1990.

The Clemson basketball programs have won roughly 75% of their games in Littlejohn, making it one of the ACC's toughest road venues.

The Tigers' first two basketball games were both played in Greenville, South Carolina on February 9, 1912, a 46–12 win at Furman, followed by a 78–6 victory over the Butler Guards later that evening.

Former Pittsburgh Nationals player Frank Dobson was Clemson's first basketball coach, taking the Tigers to a 13–5 record in the first two seasons.

Banks McFadden, eventual All-American in both football and basketball, averaged 11.8 points per game to lead the team as the starting pivot to four victories.

It was an incredible run in the tournament as Clemson beat North Carolina, 44–43, Wake Forest, 30–28, Davidson 49–33 and Maryland 39–27 to clinch the Southern Conference title.

Jim Brennan became the first Clemson player to make the first-team All-ACC Tournament in 1962 with 34 points against #8 Duke in the semifinals before losing to Billy Packer and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 77–66.

His sophomore year, 1974–75, he joined forces with Skip Wise to take Clemson to its first top 20 final ranking and its first postseason NIT tournament bid.

When Tree Rollins decided not to turn professional, Foster coached the Tigers to a 22–6 record, the program's ninth straight year with an improved winning percentage.

It was a fitting way to honor Rollins, who averaged a double-double for four years and is still first in ACC history in blocked shots, before starting his 18-year career in the NBA.

Clemson went to the NCAA Tournament defeating Danny Ainge and BYU in Round 2 before being eliminated by Larry Brown and UCLA in the Elite Eight.

Ellis coached Clemson to the ACC regular season title in 1990, with the Tigers posting a 24–8 record that year behind Dale Davis and Elden Campbell, ending in a last-second shot by UConn in the Sweet 16.

The Tigers won 22 games over the top 25 teams in Ellis' ten years at Clemson, including an upset of 12th-ranked Florida State in the 1993 ACC Tournament and a victory over #2 North Carolina in 1994.

Rick Barnes was the first coach in Clemson history to take the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament three consecutive years.

Picked last in the ACC before his first season, he shocked the basketball world by winning his first ten games, including a 75–70 victory over 9th-ranked Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

In his second season, he featured an 18–11 record, including Clemson's first-ever ACC Tournament victory over #20 North Carolina.

His fiery on-the-floor interactions with Dean Smith and the teams' physical style of play made him a basketball fan favorite.

At the time, Shyatt became only the fourth first-year coach in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history to guide his team to a 20-win season.

In 2008, he guided the Tigers to a third-place 10–6 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference and a runner-up position in the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, losing to North Carolina by 5 points.

Jerai Grant and Demontez Stitt became the first scholarship players in school history to be consistent contributors to four straight NCAA Tournament teams.

Still, they were impressive in several statistical categories, yielding just 60.1 points per game, finishing 2nd in the ACC in Scoring Defense, and setting a record for fewest turnovers.

Led by All-ACC selection PJ Hall and senior guard Chase Hunter, the team boasted ranked non-conference wins over in-state rival South Carolina and Alabama, the latter coming in the ACC—SEC Challenge.