In Charlotte, North Carolina, during the ACC Tournament semifinals on Friday night, the Clemson Tigers faced an unexpected hurdle during their clash against Louisville. Clemson, ranked 10th, found themselves trailing the 13th-ranked Louisville Cardinals 33-28 at halftime. However, the Tigers encountered a unique challenge as they discovered they were locked out of their locker room during the break.
The Clemson players spent the halftime sitting on the cement floor in the hallway while their coach, Brad Brownell, delivered a pep talk. Fortunately, building security soon arrived to unlock the door, allowing the players access to their locker room. Due to this unusual incident, the ACC added two extra minutes to the usual halftime duration.
That interruption may have played a role in Clemson’s sluggish start in the second half. They struggled offensively, going over six minutes without scoring a field goal and finding themselves trailing by as many as 15 points. Despite a spirited comeback attempt that cut the deficit to just two points, Clemson ultimately fell short, losing the game 76-73.
Coach Brownell expressed his disappointment, noting that such a situation had never occurred at this level for his team. “It’s disappointing, obviously,” he remarked. The incident left both the coach and the team puzzled, as it is unclear how the locker room door, which is meant to lock only from the inside, ended up being locked. Typically, a security guard is stationed outside each locker room during games to prevent such issues, and no similar incident had been reported previously.
