CHARLOTTE – Clemson head coach Brad Brownell was fuming after his team’s dramatic 76-73 loss to No. 13 Louisville at the Spectrum Center on Friday—and his frustration had nothing to do with the game itself.
For reasons unknown, the Tigers found themselves locked out of their own locker room for the first four minutes of halftime. With only 10 minutes to make key adjustments and prepare for the second half, Brownell had no choice but to deliver his speech and adjustments to his players in a hallway—an unusual and frustrating situation for any coach.
After the game, Brownell was asked if he received an explanation from the ACC about what caused the delay and if such a thing had ever happened before. His response? “No, not at this level. It’s disappointing, obviously,” he said, visibly frustrated.
To make matters worse, Clemson wasn’t granted any extra time during halftime to make up for the mishap.
The Clemson Insider reached out to the ACC for an explanation of the bizarre incident. The league confirmed that the situation is being investigated, with more details to be provided as soon as they have them.
A halftime mix-up that left a coach and team scrambling? Definitely not the way anyone wants to handle a critical game.
