CLEMSON -- It's been exactly seven months since Clemson's basketball program lifted itself up, up and away to heights seldom imagined and almost never accomplished.

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But even though it's late October and not late in the madness of March, it's so easy to see how much of the weight also lifted from the shoulders and psyche of the man running the show.

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Brad Brownell gathered with the media earlier this week to give his thoughts on his team as he prepares for his 15th season here.

Not long ago, the "15th season here" part would've driven some fans crazy.

As in: "How much longer are we going to accept this? How much longer before we pull the plug and bring in someone who can bring some excitement to this program? Someone who can give us a reason to dream big about not just getting to the NCAA Tournament but making an extended run?"

Yeah, something along those lines.

Something that was blown out of the water when the Tigers didn't just win a game in the NCAA Tournament to make Brownell feel more comfortable, didn't just advance to the Round of 16 to make it a lead-pipe lock that he'd return, and didn't just act happy to be there when Arizona was on the other side of the court in Los Angeles.

And they were up 13 on Alabama with a shot to go to the Final Four. The competitor in Brownell spent months agonizing over what he and his team could've done to close the deal against the Crimson Tide.

They were that close.

But ultimately he took great satisfaction in not just pushing back on the criticism but slamming the door shut. And so did athletics director Graham Neff, who rewarded him with a five-year contract worth $20 million.

The Tigers play host to Augusta tonight at 7 in an exhibition, and the uplifting vibes from seven months ago certainly will extend to Littlejohn Coliseum as fans congregate to get their first look at a team that has real potential even after the loss of PJ Hall, Joe Girard and RJ Godfrey.

Brownell has made a habit of finishing better than preseason ACC prognostications, but the big breakthrough in the NCAA Tournament has brought credibility and faith: The Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the 18-team ACC in the conference's media poll released two weeks ago.

Over the past two years the Tigers had short-term upside because of the return of experienced figurehead players. Last year they sizzled out of the gates, taking an 11-1 record into January on the strength of impressive victories over Boise State, TCU, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and that same Alabama team in Tuscaloosa.

Two years ago they knew how good they were thanks largely to the presence of Hunter Tyson and Hall. Last year they knew how good they were because of Hall, Girard, Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin.

Continuity and cohesion matter, and they had that in spades last year. That's how they were able to rediscover their all-consuming purpose and in March looked a lot like the team from November and December.

It's different this year. Brownell has seven new faces, and basically nine new contributors out of 13 scholarship guys.

Different doesn't have to mean lesser. There's a hope that this team over the long term will be faster and deeper, capable of playing in ways that past year's teams didn't.

But "long term" seems to be the operative part as Brownell, ever the realist, assesses where his team is at this precise point.

They scrimmaged Vanderbilt four days ago in Atlanta and Brownell said he was "very pleased." They scored a lot and didn't commit many turnovers. Some rough spots defensively, which is a natural casualty of playing faster and in more open-floor situations.

Most important: Hunter and Schieffelin played well, and that's more of an accomplishment now without Girard and Hall occupying attention.

But it's such a new world right now without Hall, who took up all the oxygen in the room in a good way.

Hunter and Schieffelin aren't wired to be vocal leaders, but they can lead by example in being forces of will and determination.

Hunter showed last year he can be a brilliant scorer when at his best. One of his major tasks this year is making sure his off nights aren't fall-off-the-map off.

Schieffelin is going to be expected to be more of a perimeter face-up player who shoots more 3-pointers and does more off the dribble. It's a tougher ask when he and Hall aren't playing off each other in the high-low game. But Schieffelin was massively improved last year, so taking another step seems realistic.

Chauncey Wiggins is now at 217 pounds after entering Clemson at 185. He could be viewed as the pivot point between a good team and a really good one: If he's able to make a jump similar to the one Schieffelin did last season it could set up more high-level achievement.

New names always bring intrigue entering a season, and right now Del Jones is the freshman who seems geared to play a significant role early. He's fast, he's physical and he's highly competitive. Good combination to get playing time in a backcourt that also includes Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery and Jake Heidbreder.

And we haven't even gotten to junior guard Dillon Hunter, Chase's brother.

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Brownell is hoping that two guys make up for the loss of Hall. Viktor Lakhin (6-11, 245) transferred from Cincinnati and is adept at moving around and facilitating away from the basket. Duke transfer Christian Reeves brings a physical rim protector in a 7-foot-2, 253-pound frame.

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Lakhin will be on the floor more as Reeves works to gain confidence and health (his ankles have been giving him problems, and he played just three games last year at Duke).

Brownell said it'd be a "win" for Reeves to play 10 minutes a game this year. We're thinking if Reeves stays healthy he'll play more than that, and be a factor.

Bottom line about this team: A lot of uncertainty, but a lot of reason to think they can bring more excitement to fans who were taken on a blissful joy ride last March.

It's been exactly seven months since we last saw them on the floor, but the impact is still ever present.

It's certainly evident in the disposition of Brownell.

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He just seems so much more comfortable.

And maybe that's not all because of what happened in the distant past, but what he thinks this team is capable of achieving in the distant future.

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