Louisville’s Late Game Surge Falls Short at Clemson

Saturday, February 28

Clemson, S.C.

2 p.m.

University of Louisville

20-9,9-7ACC

Clemson

21-8,11-5ACC

Louisville

Clemson

February 28, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score 29 Clemson 80 - Louisville 75 Postgame Notes Pat Kelsey Press Conference

Adrian Wooley leads Louisville with 17 points in 80-75 loss at Clemson

By: Zach Zsido

CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 24/20-ranked University of Louisville men's basketball lost 80-75 to Clemson on Saturday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum.

"Congratulations to Clemson," said UofL head coach Pat Kelsey. "Coach [Brad] Brownell I've known for a long time, coached against him for a long time. Longest tenured coach in the ACC, a lot of respect for him. He's got a powerful voice in our coaching family in the ACC because he's been here so long. His teams are always so well-schooled defensively, and this team is no different. We struggled; we're struggling and trying to figure it out. Told our guys now's not the time during the ten minutes or so I talked to them after the game to rehash a bunch of little things that add up to big things. We can't allow it to happen especially when you go on the road in a tough venue against a really tough team which Clemson is and think you're going to win those games."

Four Cardinals scored in double figures, led by Adrian Wooley with a game-high 17 points in his first game leading UofL in scoring. Ryan Conwell added 15 points and secured five rebounds, while J'Vonne Hadley recorded 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Sananda Fru tallied 10 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting performance.

Clemson (21-8, 11-5 ACC) jumped out to an early 7-2 lead three minutes into the game, but a Conwell 3-pointer sparked a 9-0 Cardinal run, giving UofL an 11-7 advantage with 15:33 left in the half. The teams traded buckets the next 10 minutes before the Tigers earned a seven-point lead, 30-23, the largest of the half from both squads.

The Cards (20-9, 9-7 ACC) battled back with a 10-6 run in the final 4:32, capped by a buzzer-beating layup by Conwell to cut UofL's deficit to three, 35-38, before heading into the locker room. Conwell led Louisville with 11 first-half points including three shots from deep.

The Tigers extended their lead with a 10-4 run in the first four minutes of the second half, before scores from Isaac McKneely, Conwell and Hadley brought the Cards within five, 48-53. Clemson increased its advantage by as much as 15 until Wooley scored 11 points in the final minute of the game, but it wasn't enough as the Tigers earned the 80-75 win.

Louisville finished the game shooting 29-of-64 from the field, 10-of-36 from 3-point range, and 7-of-12 from the charity stripe. The Cards outrebounded the Tigers 36-31 and held a 36-28 advantage in points in the paint.

Jestin Porter paced the Tigers with 16 points while adding three assists and a game-high three steals. RJ Godfrey scored 13 points, and Ace Buckner recorded 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

"Two regular season games left, but the only one that matters is on Tuesday," said Kelsey. "It's comforting to know that, and I believe deep down in my soul that the competitive character of our players is one of great resolve. I told them nobody cares, or I sure as heck don't care, or I think way less about their response or anybody's response to things that happen that are good because your response to those things are easy. It's when stuff gets tough and it's really tough right now. We're searching and we're going to figure it out. It's what I told the guys. The biggest thing is walking out of that locker room and staying a cohesive, connected unit, not splintering which I know we will not. We've got to go back to work quickly. We have a quick turnaround for a Tuesday game. I really believe this team is going to hit its peak and playing at its best before the end of the season. I know there's not a lot of regular season left, but there's a lot of basketball left to be played."

Louisville returns to the KFC Yum! Center to host Syracuse for its final home game of the year on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.