Sluggish starts have become the norm for Louisville men’s basketball during ACC play.
On Tuesday night at Clemson, the Cardinals were in a rock fight out of the gate.
The teams were tied at 16 apiece heading into the final 6:29 of the first half, shooting a combined 28.2% from the field.
Then, as has often been the case during the Kenny Payne era, the mistakes began piling up. And U of L (6-15, 1-9 ACC) dug itself into a hole it couldn’t climb out of.
The Tigers (14-6, 4-5) pounced, then limped to the finish line while handing Louisville its sixth consecutive loss, 70-64.
The stretch run of the first half was the turning point.
Clemson won the final 6:29, 18-6, scoring eight unanswered in 1 minute, 53 seconds, to take what was its largest lead of the night, 34-22, into the locker room. By the 12:55 mark of the second half, it held a 24-point advantage.
For most teams, there’s no coming back from that. In the Cards’ case, this game was within single digits for the final 1:28 of regulation.
But in the end, they were doomed by ice-cold shooting.
They posted their lowest field-goal percentage of the season, 34.4%, and went 2 for 20 from 3-point range. Their first assist came with 11:57 to play in the second half, when Tre White found Brandon Huntley-Hatfield for a dunk.
Taking care of the ball was also an issue, with 16 turnovers leading to 19 points for the Tigers.
Of the eight that occurred during the first half, four came while Clemson pulled off its momentum-shifting run.
It should be noted Payne had a limited roster at his disposal.
Per the ACC Network’s game broadcast, sophomore Skyy Clark was ruled out of the game early in the second half after taking a knee to the head. Freshman Ty-Laur Johnson was sidelined with an ankle injury. U of L said junior walk-on Hercy Miller was not with the team “as he continues to seek medical consultation out of town.”
So, when freshman Kaleb Glenn fouled out with 8:14 to play in regulation, only six scholarship players remained.
White led the second-half charge with a career-high 29 points, 21 of which came during the second half. He also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to help Louisville dominate the boards, 48-29 — including a 21-4 advantage on the offensive end.
But no other U of L player broke double digits. In fact, the rest of the team went 11 for 44 from the field.
The Cards next play against Florida State at 8 p.m. Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.
This story will be updated.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.