Brad Brownell addresses controversial foul late vs. Louisville

The closing moments of Clemson‘s 76-73 loss to Louisville in the ACC Tournament semifinals were shrouded in controversy. Trailing the Cardinals 75-73, Clemson star Chase Hunter attacked the paint and attempted to finish through two Louisville defenders with his right hand.

Although the pair of Cardinals appeared to make contact with Hunter during the shot attempt, no foul was called. Louisville rebounded the blocked shot and Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn was fouled, consequently receiving two bonus free throws.

Hepburn made the first foul shot but missed the second, and Clemson rushed up the court to try to force overtime. The ball ended up in Hunter’s hands again and he had no choice but to launch a deep 3-pointer from the left side of the court.

Clemson just got hosed lmao chase hunter was fouled like 3 times on this pic.twitter.com/JbZCjRGDQI

— John (@iam_johnw) March 15, 2025

Louisville’s Terrence Edwards Jr. appeared to foul Hunter on the shot but, for the second play in a row, no foul was called. The clock expired and Louisville advanced to the ACC Tournament championship game with a 76-73 win over the Tigers.

Naturally, Clemson fans couldn’t help but wonder how the game’s outcome would’ve been different if the Tigers had received a friendly whistle. After the game, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell weighed in on the controversial final plays.

“Obviously proud of my guys for making a tough play, taking it in there against their defense to try to score, get fouled, and there was certainly contact. It’s a hard play to referee,” Brownell said. “… Obviously, a very difficult ending for us.

“Really proud of my players for just continuing to compete and believe and just keep fighting. We had a chance to win the game there at the end, had a couple things maybe not go our way, but man, we just — these guys just kept fighting.”

Brad Brownell wasn’t the only one who refused to blame the referees for the loss. Following the defeat, Chase Hunter kept a cool head while discussing the controversy.

“That’s not up to me. I really tried to make a play, and it just didn’t go my way,” Hunter said.

Chase Hunter and his fellow Tigers’ season is far from over. ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi predicted Clemson to be a 5-seed in his latest NCAA Tournament projections.

Last season, Clemson made a jaw-dropping run to the Elite Eight. Now, the Tigers will look to put the nation on notice again. Clemson will find out its path in the NCAA Tournament, along with everyone else, during the selection show at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.