Allie Lawhon

Men's Basketball

Louisville Defeats Clemson 76-73 to Reach ACC Championship Game

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Terrence Edwards scored 21 points, J’Vonne Hadley added 20 points and nine rebounds as No. 2 seed Louisville beat No. 3 seed Clemson, 76-73, on Friday night in the 2025 T. Rowe Price ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals.
 
Chucky Hepburn, the hero of Louisville’s dramatic 75-73 quarterfinal win over Stanford, added 12 points for the Cardinals (27-6).
 
Chase Hunter had 23 points for Clemson (27-6), while Ian Schieffelin had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
 
No. 13 Louisville is seeking its first ACC title on Saturday night, but top-seeded Duke, which held on to beat North Carolina, 74-71, in the other semifinal, stands in its way.
 
The Cardinals held No. 10 Clemson without a field goal for more than six minutes in the second half to build a 67-52 lead with 3:50 left.
 
But the Tigers cut their deficit to two with 54 seconds remaining on a layup from Hunter, who had 19 second-half points. After Louisville was called for a shot-clock violation, Clemson had the ball and chance to tie or take the lead.
 
But James Scott blocked Hunter’s drive after switching off his man.
 
Hepburn made 1-of-2 free throws with six seconds left to make a three-point game and Hunter’s leaning 3-point shot from 25 feet at the buzzer missed.
 
Takeaways
Clemson: The Tigers showed toughness battling back late in the fourth quarter and could prove to be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Louisville: The Cardinals may have shown vulnerability as the Tigers were able to turn them over repeatedly with a full court press down the stretch.
 
Of Note

  • Louisville advances to the ACC Championship Game for the first time in program history.
  • Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey has led the Cardinals to the ACC title game in his first year leading the program.
  • Chucky Hepburn recorded his second straight game with double-digit scoring and at least five assists. The guard logged 12 points and five assists on Friday.
  • Hepburn, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, added six steals in the win.
  • Both Terrence Edwards Jr. and J’Vonne Hadley scored at least 20 points and pulled down at least eight rebounds for Louisville in the win.
  • Louisville led by 15 points with 3:28 remaining in the contest before pulling within two with less than 10 seconds in regulation.
  • Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin had a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double in the Tigers’ loss.