Hadley, Louisville Defeat Clemson to Extend Winning Streak

The Cardinals have now won five-in-a-row.

Jan 7, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Clemson Tigers forward Chauncey Wiggins (7) drives to the basket against Louisville Cardinals forward Khani Rooths (9) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Three days after delivering a 20-point blowout at Virginia, the Louisville men's basketball program has added another statement victory.

Returning to the KFC Yum! Center for a massive ACC showdown against Clemson, the Cardinals took full advantage of the opportunity to bolster their resume, claiming a 74-64 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday night.

Louisville (11-5, 4-1 ACC) not only hands Clemson (12-4, 4-1 ACC) their first conference loss of the season, but they extend their winning streak to five consecutive - the longest so far under first year head coach Pat Kelsey. It's the longest such winning streak since the 2020-21 season.

Additionally, Louisville moves to 6-5 so far this season against Quadrant 1 and 2 teams in the NET. Of Louisville's 15 remaining games, just six are against Quad 1 and 2 teams.

Louisville by powered primarily by an explosive performance from J'Vonne Hadley. The guard scored a career-high 32 points on 10-of-12 shooting, hauled in 10 rebounds for a double-double, and also had four assists.

James Scott was the only other Cardinal to crack double figures, also putting forth a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Chucky Hepburn also had nine points and seven assists.

As a whole, Louisville shot 45.5 from the field and 8-of-27 on three-point attempts, while holding Clemson to 40.0 percent and 8-of-24 from deep. While the Cardinals were out-rebounded 38-32 and allowed the Tigers to get 19 points off turnovers vs. 13 of their own, they countered by using hustle and physicality to get to the free throw line. They went 16-of-20 at the charity stripe, whereas their visitors were just 4-of-5.

Basketball is a game of runs and momentum, and the first half was a testament to that. Louisville opened the game up 12-6, but that was countered by a 17-5 Clemson run. The Cardinals responded with a 7-0 spurt, but then the Tigers poured in a 9-4 stretch to go up six with just over three minutes to halftime.

However, it was Louisville that went into the locker room with all the momentum. Aided heavily by Hadley, who scored 18 points in the first half alone, the Cardinals ended the half on a 14-1 run to go into the break with a 42-35 advantage.

In the second half, Louisville spent the entirety of it holding off Clemson. The Tigers were able to fire off a 9-0 run to get within two points with 10:45 left, but the Cardinals were able to follow that up with a 9-0 run of their own that made it a 3-4 possession game for the remainder of the contest.

While the shooting splits for both teams went down for each team after halftime, Louisville was able to keep pace ahead of Clemson. The Cardinals shot 40.7 percent to the Tigers' 35.3 percent in the second half, whereas they were shooting 50.0 percent and 45.2 percent, respectively, in the opening half.

Next up, Louisville heads back on the road for another crucial matchup - this time at Pitt. Tip-off against the Panthers is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 11 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Khani Rooths: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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