CHARLOTTE – Dillon Hunter’s locker at the ACC Tournament was wedged in the corner of a small grayish room, dimly lit with the fluorescent lights used by high school classrooms and warmed by the comfort of a non-lethal loss.
As the senior trudged in from a press conference after a 73-61 loss to top-seeded Duke in the semifinal round of the ACC Tournament, he wore tightly bound ice bags around the knees that carried him through 88 minutes of playing time across three games in as many days.
Largely thanks to Hunter’s 22 combined points, along with five assists and seven rebounds, the Tigers picked up wins against Wake Forest and North Carolina to send Clemson to its second semifinal appearance in two years and likely secure a favorable spot in this season’s NCAA Tournament.