Clemson gets locked out of locker room in ACC semifinal; lose narrowly to Louisville

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Clemson narrowly missed out on a trip to the ACC title game on Friday night, and they may have somewhere to point the finger.

The Tigers trailed Louisville, ranked 10th and 13th, respectively, 33-28 at the half on Friday in Charlotte, and both teams headed to the locker room.

There was just one problem, though: Clemson's locker room wouldn't open.

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The Clemson Tigers bench with a dejected look late during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Spectrum Center. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

The players were locked out for several minutes, and head coach Brad Brownell had to address his team from the halls of Spectrum Center.

Brownell said that nothing like that had ever happened "at this level."

"It’s disappointing, obviously," he added.

An ACC spokesperson said it is unclear how the door, which locks from the inside, wound up getting locked. The conference posts a security guard outside every locker room for every game, and there had never been any incidents reported before.

Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell reacts in the first half at Spectrum Center.  (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

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The ACC did add two minutes to halftime, but it seemed apparent that Clemson was at least a bit flustered to start the second half. They eventually fell behind by 15 after going more than six minutes without a field goal. 

The Tigers finally got some momentum and cut the lead to two with a furious rally and had a chance to take the lead after Louisville was called for a shot clock