Clemson enters Thursday’s rivalry game with a confidence head coach Shawn Poppie hasn’t felt before. Dawn Staley’s South Carolina has won three national championships, recruited elite talent, and opened the 2026-27 season as the No. 1-ranked team in the country. But Poppie sees something in this matchup that changes the equation.

“I think that for them as young people, and this is no disrespect to the first three opponents we had, it’s harder to get them focused for those three than it is this one,” Poppie said in a press conference before the game, which was recorded and posted to X by reporter Chapel Fowler.

“I think that, in itself, you’re gonna see a different team come Thursday just based off the opponent, right, of how your focus level is leading up… I, as the head coach, want us to play better than we did the first three games. But you’re trying to convince eighteen to twenty two year olds that believe that we’re probably better than them. We don’t have to play our best. It’s the fine line. I think there’s no doubt in that locker room that we think that we can beat them on Thursday.”

His confidence in the team comes largely from the two teams’ showdown last season, on November 11, 2025. Clemson came close to challenging South Carolina, going down 65-37, but the final score didn’t tell the entire story of the game.

Clemson had managed to stay within 10 points entering the fourth quarter, giving Poppie a reason to believe his team could compete with one of the nation’s top programs. However, the Gamecocks completely demolished them in the final period, outscoring the Tigers 20-2 to turn what had been a competitive contest into a comfortable win.

Clemson goes into the Palmetto Series matchup on November 12 with a different mindset, as the head coach believes that the returning players have helped establish confidence within a retooled locker room.

“We have a couple in that locker room, Mia Moore, [Rusne Augustinaite], that are spilling over their belief to the others,” he said.

“I think that there’s definitely some belief we can hang in there. I always got to get a little bit further. And that’s a starting point, but then again, the rest of these – the transfers, freshmen – came here for a reason. We’re selling of what Clemson is about to be, and they’re gonna be a big part of it.”

The roster looks considerably different from the one that faced South Carolina last year. Poppie has brought in five transfers: Mackenzie Nelson, Taliyah Henderson, Jenna Lawrence, Edie Clarke and Yakiya Milton. Clemson has also added its highest-ranked freshman class in program history, featuring Meeyah Green, Kimora Fields, and Julia Scott.

It’s paid off; Clemson has started the season with some solid momentum. The team has won its first three games this year, beating Radford 68-47, ETSU 76-57, and UNC Greensboro 72-44, with each win coming by at least 19 points. The latest game saw Edie Clarke log a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double, Moore contribute six assists, and Lawrence add four three-pointers.

However, they face a massive challenge. South Carolina has established itself as the team to beat, opening its season with a 101-93 win over No. 20 Maryland in Paris before dominating No. 12 North Carolina 84-39.

The Tigers have not beaten South Carolina since November 2009, when they secured a 94-92 win, with the Gamecocks leading the series 38-32 all-time. This contest gives Clemson a chance to change that, with a potential win marking the program’s first victory over an AP No. 1 team since trouncing Maryland in February 1992.

Poppie knows his team needs more than confidence to do all that, but after seeing the Tigers compete with South Carolina for three quarters last year, he thinks his players have a reason to enter the game with an upset not out of the question.

The post "We Can Beat Them": Dawn Staley's No. 1 South Carolina Gets a Confident Warning From Clemson Coach Before Rivalry Clash appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.