If Clemson goes on to make an extended run in the NCAA Tournament, the opportunity it missed in Charlotte probably won't sting too much.
But these opportunities don't come around often.
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As in, never: Clemson (27-6) has reached the ACC Tournament championship game just twice in its history and has lost both times.
With Cooper Flagg unavailable for a Duke team the Tigers already beat this year, this was the chance of a basketball lifetime.
But Clemson had to get there first, and beating No. 13 Louisville (27-6) just doesn't seem to be in the cards for the Tigers this year as the 10th-ranked Tigers fell 76-73 after a stirring comeback in the final 3:28.
Clemson trimmed a 15-point deficit to two with less than a minute left, but a driving shot by Chase Hunter was blocked by Aboubacar Traore with six seconds on the clock.
The Tigers still had a chance to send the game into overtime after Chucky Hepburn missed one of two free throws, but Hunter missed a long 3-point attempt as time expired.
Before the frenzied comeback, Clemson was down double digits for almost the entire second half and was in a 15-point hole with 3:28 to go.
At that point it felt like the Tigers' worst game in a long time.
Since Jan. 7, to be precise. That's when Clemson ventured to Louisville and was outplayed in a 74-64 defeat.
Clemson went on to win 15 of its next 16 games and had won nine straight entering Friday's semifinal.
The Tigers will go into Selection Sunday hoping they don't have to face Pat Kelsey's team during March Madness.
Or maybe they'll spend more time trying to figure out how to regain their shooting touch.
Clemson was held under 40 percent shooting for the second consecutive game after that happened just once over the previous 18 games.
The Tigers were 5-of-16 from 3-point land after missing 17 of 21 against SMU. They shot just 3-of-20 from beyond the arc in the regular-season finale against Virginia Tech.
Hunter again led the Tigers with 23 points after he produced 21 clutch points against the Mustangs.
But with Dillon Hunter out with a broken hand and Chauncey Wiggins in a significant funk for most of Friday's game, the Tigers' bench produced just four points. And those came from Jake Heidbreder, who was 1-of-5 from the field with two turnovers and four fouls in 18 minutes.
Louisville has won 21 of its past 22 games. Clemson was up seven in the first half, but the Cardinals chipped away and took a five-point lead into halftime before pushing the lead to double digits early in the second half.
In the January meeting between these two teams, J'Vonne Hadley had a career night with 32 points.
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He scored 20 points just once over his next 16 games before putting up 20 against the Tigers on Friday while pulling down nine rebounds.
Terrence Edwards led the Cardinals with 21 points despite missing eight of nine shots from 3-point range. He was 8-for-8 on free throws for the Cardinals, who finished 22 of 27 from the line but missed three of them in the final three minutes as the Tigers were clawing back.
Ian Schieffelin secured yet another double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes.
If the Tigers go on to achieve all they desire in the NCAA Tournament, what happened in Charlotte might go down as a footnote.
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But right now it stings.
Because these chances don't come around often for Clemson basketball.
