Clemson is moving on in the ACC Tournament. Barely. The Tigers didn’t look like a top seed for various stretches but scraped out a 57-54 win over SMU in their opening ACC Tournament game on Thursday night. 

Veteran guard Chase Hunter scored a game-high 21 points on 7-13 shooting and had a number of clutch late buckets as the Tigers outlasted a feisty SMU squad. With a three-point win in the quarterfinals, No. 3 seeded Clemson advances to a Friday night semifinal game against No. 2 Louisville at the Spectrum Center. The Tigers (27-5) are now two wins away from a coveted ACC tournament championship, something they’ve never won in their program’s history. No. 6 SMU gave Clemson (27-5) a run for its money though.

“I felt like we just were playing with a piano on our back,” Tigers coach Brad Brownell said postgame. “We were stressed and just not enjoying the moment as much as we needed to. Hopefully, this win will help us do that.” 

Clemson took a 54-51 lead in the final two minutes and extended that to 56-52 on guard Chase Hunter’s turnaround jumper in the paint. But with a chance to ice the game up four points, the Tigers committed a live-ball turnover. 

SMU (23-10) made two free throws after a fast-break foul, Hunter missed a 3-pointer on the other end and the Mustangs had a go-ahead chance with 12.5 seconds left. But SMU guard Chuck Harris’ 3-pointer fell short with 3.5 seconds left, and the refs awarded Clemson possession after an extensive out of bounds review. Hunter was fouled, made his first free throw and missed his second, keeping the game within a possession. That didn’t impact much, though, considering SMU had no timeouts and was on the opposite end of the court after the ensuing rebound. 

A desperation three-quarters court heave fell short, and Clemson survived. In doing so, the Tigers narrowly avoided going one and done in back-to-back ACC Tournaments after getting routed by Boston College in their opener last year. They also kept their chances of a league title and a top 4 NCAA Tournament seed alive. “The end goal isn’t here,” Hunter said. “We’ve got more to do.

Game recap. Clemson and SMU were playing the final of four quarterfinal games at the Spectrum Center. The crowd on hand for the 9:30 p.m. (10,627 people) was still decent..

The first half of play? Not so much. Four minutes into the game, the teams had combined for 12 turnovers. SMU, which advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Stanford on Wednesday, didn’t break 10 points until 11 minutes in. Clemson didn’t break 20 points until 12 minutes in. 

At that point, it appeared that the Tigers might exercise their will. Veteran guard Chase Hunter swished an in-rhythm 3-pointer for a 22-14 lead — Clemson’s greatest of the game — and the strongly pro-Tigers crowd began to roar. It did not last. Clemson did not score another field goal the rest of the first half, SMU made six of its last eight shots, and the Tigers were outscored 13-6 in the pre-halftime period. After leading by as much as eight points, their lead at the interval was one (28-27).

The Mustangs kept their foot on the throttle and established a five-point lead shortly after halftime, with Clemson big Viktor Lakhin picking up fouls and reserve guard Dillon Hunter (finger) being declared out for the remainder of the game. (Brownell stated postgame that he believes Dillon Hunter broke his right hand. Hunter claimed he didn’t know the extent of his injury and he’d get an X-ray on Friday.)

Clemson and SMU traded leads for the entirety of the second half, with neither team up by more than two or three possessions. With four minutes left, the game had been tied four times and featured six lead changes.

Clemson led 54-51 with 1:59 left after forward Ian Schieffelin scored two free throws, then extended the lead with Hunter’s jumper and a few crucial stops. But a late turnover propelled SMU back into the game when it appeared out of reach. Guard Jaeden Zackery (11 points) said he enjoyed the challenge that the SMU game provided. The Tigers had won eight consecutive games and 14 of their previous 15 games. They hadn’t had a single-digit victory since February 10 against UNC. For Clemson to overcome a slow start and win in the quarterfinals? And limit high-scoring SMU to zero field goals in the final six minutes of the game?

For Clemson to overcome a slow start and win in the quarterfinals? And limit high-scoring SMU to zero field goals in the final six minutes of the game?

That’s huge for us,” Zackery said. Next up is Louisville, which handed Clemson one of its only two ACC regular-season losses earlier this year. The Cardinals beat the Tigers 74-64 in Louisville on Jan. 7. Louisville also escaped with a win Thursday, though. The Cardinals trailed No. 7 seed Stanford by as many as 15 points in the second half before winning at the buzzer, 75-73, on guard Chucky Hepburn’s midrange jumper. “We’ve got to relax, enjoy this moment a little bit more and not play so stressed and trust in our offense a little bit better,” Brownell said.

Clemson Tigers guard Jaeden Zackery (11) and Southern Methodist Mustangs forward Yohan Traore (21) fight for the rebound during the first half at Spectrum Center. Jim Dedmon Imagn Images ACC Tournament scores, schedule Thursday’s games Duke 78, Georgia Tech 70 North Carolina 68, 70 North Carolina 68, Wake Forest 59 Louisville 75, Stanford 73 Clemson 57, SMU 54 Friday’s games Duke vs. North Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPN) Louisville vs. Clemson, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)