Friday, November 21
Charleston, S.C.
6:30 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Clemson
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers to Play in 2025 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic This Weekend
November 20, 2025 08:48 AM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia will be taking the next step in its season on Friday night when the Mountaineers meet Clemson in the 2025 Shriners Children's Charleston Classic at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina.
West Virginia and Clemson are part of the Palmetto Bracket that also includes Georgia and Xavier.
The Low Country Bracket features Boston College, Davidson, Tulane and Utah State.
The winner of the West Virginia-Clemson game will face the Georgia-Xavier winner on Sunday afternoon.
This will be the Mountaineers' first games away from Hope Coliseum this season.
"I think our guys are excited for that challenge," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said. "Time will tell if we can win the game, but I think we're ready for that next part. Now, the next box to check is what you do on a daily basis in practice, and can you put it in suitcases and go on a neutral floor and play against a really good team, an NCAA Tournament team?"
Clemson, led by veteran coach Brad Brownell, is currently 4-1 with victories over New Hampshire, Gardner-Webb, Morehead State and North Alabama and a 79-74 loss at Georgetown last Saturday.
In their most recent victory over North Alabama on Monday night, the Tigers got 16 points off the bench from Georgia transfer RJ Godfrey and 14 from four-star freshman guard Zac Foster.
Clemson's starting five against North Alabama featured Utah transfer Jake Wahlin and Nevada transfer Nick Davidson at forwards, Utah Valley transfer Carter Welling at center with senior Dillon Hunter and redshirt freshman Ace Buckner in the backcourt.
Hunter is the team's most experienced player, while Buckner, the son of former Clemson star Greg Buckner, sat out last season while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Welling, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior, is leading the team in scoring with an average of 11.4 points per game. Bucker is contributing 11 points, while Godfrey shows averages of 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Davidson and Wahlin are a shade below double digits at 9.8 and 9.4 points per game, respectively.
Clemson, under Brownell, has been one of the best teams in the ACC over the last three years with a 74-30 overall record that is second only to Duke. Two years ago, the Tigers came of age by reaching the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, and last year they were upset in the first round of the tournament by McNeese State.
Clemson was picked to finish seventh in this year's ACC preseason media poll.
Sunday's potential foes, Georgia and Xavier, were predicted to finish 14th and eighth respectively in their preseason conference polls.
The Bulldogs are currently 5-0, and the Musketeers are 3-2.
West Virginia, meanwhile, boosted its record to 5-0 with Monday night's 81-59 victory over Lafayette. Freshman forward DJ Thomas paced the Mountaineers with a season-high 25 points, while senior guard Honor Huff added 24, all of them coming from behind the 3-point arc. Huff's eight 3s were one short of the school record of nine established by Alex Ruoff against Radford in 2008.
Thomas is the fifth different player to lead the team in scoring and the fourth different player to top 20 points in a game this season.
"It says a lot about the character of our guys, how unselfish they are and how committed they are to making the right play," Hodge explained. "We've got good depth and good players. That's the way we are going to be. It's going to be different players every night."
Huff leads a balanced scoring attack with an average of 17.2 points per game. Senior forward Brenen Lorient shows averages of 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while Thomas is contributing 11 points per contest.
Seven-foot senior center Harlan Obioha is averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
West Virginia will be adding at least one more player to the fold on Friday night when St. Bonaventure transfer Chance Moore becomes available.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound senior guard was required to sit out the first five games of the season to satisfy NCAA requirements. He gives the team another slasher who can get to the rim.
The Mountaineers are also continuing to monitor the health status of 6-foot-8, 225-pound senior forward Jackson Fields. The Troy transfer has missed the first five games while recovering from a preseason wrist injury. Hodge continues to label him "day-to-day."
West Virginia and Clemson last met at TD Arena on Nov. 21, 2021, when the Mountaineers came away with a 66-59 victory. Overall, the Mountaineers are 5-1 against the Tigers with the only loss coming in the Coliseum on March 21, 1994, in the National Invitational Tournament.
WVU has played Georgia three times, the last meeting coming in 1999, and Xavier three times, the last coming in 2023.
"Every day is a learning experience for this team, and this next game is the next check point in our season and the next chapter in the book," Hodge said. "We're excited for it, and we're going to have to play well. It's a great field down there."
ESPNU will televise Friday night's game, to tip off at 6:30 p.m.
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield's radio coverage with Tony Caridi and Brad Howe will get things started at 5:30 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
West Virginia and Clemson are part of the Palmetto Bracket that also includes Georgia and Xavier.
The Low Country Bracket features Boston College, Davidson, Tulane and Utah State.
The winner of the West Virginia-Clemson game will face the Georgia-Xavier winner on Sunday afternoon.
This will be the Mountaineers' first games away from Hope Coliseum this season.
"I think our guys are excited for that challenge," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said. "Time will tell if we can win the game, but I think we're ready for that next part. Now, the next box to check is what you do on a daily basis in practice, and can you put it in suitcases and go on a neutral floor and play against a really good team, an NCAA Tournament team?"
Clemson, led by veteran coach Brad Brownell, is currently 4-1 with victories over New Hampshire, Gardner-Webb, Morehead State and North Alabama and a 79-74 loss at Georgetown last Saturday.
In their most recent victory over North Alabama on Monday night, the Tigers got 16 points off the bench from Georgia transfer RJ Godfrey and 14 from four-star freshman guard Zac Foster.
Clemson's starting five against North Alabama featured Utah transfer Jake Wahlin and Nevada transfer Nick Davidson at forwards, Utah Valley transfer Carter Welling at center with senior Dillon Hunter and redshirt freshman Ace Buckner in the backcourt.
Hunter is the team's most experienced player, while Buckner, the son of former Clemson star Greg Buckner, sat out last season while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Welling, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior, is leading the team in scoring with an average of 11.4 points per game. Bucker is contributing 11 points, while Godfrey shows averages of 10.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Davidson and Wahlin are a shade below double digits at 9.8 and 9.4 points per game, respectively.
Clemson, under Brownell, has been one of the best teams in the ACC over the last three years with a 74-30 overall record that is second only to Duke. Two years ago, the Tigers came of age by reaching the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, and last year they were upset in the first round of the tournament by McNeese State.
Clemson was picked to finish seventh in this year's ACC preseason media poll.
Sunday's potential foes, Georgia and Xavier, were predicted to finish 14th and eighth respectively in their preseason conference polls.
The Bulldogs are currently 5-0, and the Musketeers are 3-2.
West Virginia, meanwhile, boosted its record to 5-0 with Monday night's 81-59 victory over Lafayette. Freshman forward DJ Thomas paced the Mountaineers with a season-high 25 points, while senior guard Honor Huff added 24, all of them coming from behind the 3-point arc. Huff's eight 3s were one short of the school record of nine established by Alex Ruoff against Radford in 2008.
Thomas is the fifth different player to lead the team in scoring and the fourth different player to top 20 points in a game this season.
"It says a lot about the character of our guys, how unselfish they are and how committed they are to making the right play," Hodge explained. "We've got good depth and good players. That's the way we are going to be. It's going to be different players every night."
Huff leads a balanced scoring attack with an average of 17.2 points per game. Senior forward Brenen Lorient shows averages of 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while Thomas is contributing 11 points per contest.
Seven-foot senior center Harlan Obioha is averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
West Virginia will be adding at least one more player to the fold on Friday night when St. Bonaventure transfer Chance Moore becomes available.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound senior guard was required to sit out the first five games of the season to satisfy NCAA requirements. He gives the team another slasher who can get to the rim.
The Mountaineers are also continuing to monitor the health status of 6-foot-8, 225-pound senior forward Jackson Fields. The Troy transfer has missed the first five games while recovering from a preseason wrist injury. Hodge continues to label him "day-to-day."
West Virginia and Clemson last met at TD Arena on Nov. 21, 2021, when the Mountaineers came away with a 66-59 victory. Overall, the Mountaineers are 5-1 against the Tigers with the only loss coming in the Coliseum on March 21, 1994, in the National Invitational Tournament.
WVU has played Georgia three times, the last meeting coming in 1999, and Xavier three times, the last coming in 2023.
"Every day is a learning experience for this team, and this next game is the next check point in our season and the next chapter in the book," Hodge said. "We're excited for it, and we're going to have to play well. It's a great field down there."
ESPNU will televise Friday night's game, to tip off at 6:30 p.m.
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield's radio coverage with Tony Caridi and Brad Howe will get things started at 5:30 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
Players Mentioned
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TV Highlights: WVU 81, Lafayette 59
Tuesday, November 18
Ross Hodge | Lafayette Postgame
Monday, November 17
Amir Jenkins, Honor Huff & DJ Thomas | Lafayette Postgame
Monday, November 17
Pitt Game Cinematic Recap
Sunday, November 16
