Clemson fell to Louisville 76-73 in the Semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. The Cardinals had momentum most of the game. They led by double digits most of the 2nd half.
They had a 15 point lead with 3:37 left. Clemson went through a scoring drought of over 6 minutes in the 2nd half which allowed Louisville to maintain control of the game.
We hear about "Clemson Grit" a lot and that really was on display after being down 15 with 3:37 to go. They closed the game outscoring Louisville 21-9 down the stretch to make the game, a high drama affair in the final minute.
Down two with less than 10 seconds left Clemson's Chase Hunter drove and missed on a highly contested layup. While there was heavy physical contact on the driving layup attempt, it was a no-call. Louisville then got the ball and Clemson was forced to foul. Cardinal catalyst Chucky Hepburn hit one of two free throws to make it 76-73.
Clemson had one last chance and Chase Hunter couldn't connect on a three point try. The Tigers had four double figures, Hunter had a game high 23 points. For Louisville Terrence Edwards Jr. led the way with 21 points. J'Vonne Hadley had 20 points and was one rebound short of a double-duble.
With the win, Louisville advances to take on Duke in the ACC Tournament Finals.
The loss brings Clemson to 27-6 on the season. They are a lock for an at-large bid. They'll have to wait until Sunday night's Selection Show to find out who, when and where they'll play.
