It would be excusable to forgive most Clemson fans for not paying attention to their basketball team as they might be a little preoccupied as the football Tigers prepare for Monday night's College Football Playoff national championship game against Alabama.

But not all of Clemson nation spent Sunday gearing up for the Crimson Tide. About 9,500 Tigers fans spent the day at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., and watched as Clemson upset No. 16 Louisville 66-62.

Forward Jarred Blossomgame led Clemson (10-6, 3-1 ACC) with 17 points. Guard Avry Holmes added 16, forward Donte Grantham 12 and guard Jordan Roper had 10 points for the Tigers who led the entire second half and hung on through some tense moments for their first win over a ranked ACC team in 11 tries.

Center Chinanu Onuaku led Louisville with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Trey Lewis, who was averaging 13.6 points per game, was held to 10 points on three of 19, including one of 11 from beyond the arc.

Head coach Brad Brownell earned victory No. 100 at Clemson. After the game, Brownell was wearing a well-deserved big smile.

"We are playing much better and learning to handle adversity," Brownell said. "We are understanding our team a little bit better and gaining our confidence. This was a good win for us."

Louisville coach Rich Pitino credited the Tigers and Brownell for Sunday's effort and how they have turned their season around.

"In this league, it's very tough to win on the road. Clemson's playing very good basketball right now ... and a sign of a really good coach," Pitino said, referring to Clemson winning its third straight after dropping three straight.

The Tigers certainly faced plenty of adversity against the Cardinals, especially late while trying to hold on for the win.

Clemson, which led the entire second half, looked like it would cruise to the upset win.

But Lewis sank his first 3-pointer of the game and the Cardinals only trailed by eight with just over three minutes to go.

Two possessions later Onuaku made it 54-48.

The game got even tighter when forward Jaylen Johnson converted consecutive 3-point plays and Lewis was fouled with 5.5 seconds left. Lewis made two free throws to cut the lead to 64-62, but Holmes calmly sank his final two shots at the free-throw line to seal the win.

"I knew this type of game was going to happen sooner or later. I've been trying to warn our guys about it," Pitino said. "You've got to have your defense every night and we haven't. We got burned because of it."

Clemson held the Cardinals' high-powered offense, which was averaging 83.2 points per game to 35.8 percent shooting on 24-of-67 field-goal attempts. The Tigers actually were worse at 32.6 percent on 14 of 43.

Louisville also was cold from the field, shooting 3 of 23 on 3-pointers, their worst performance by far this season.

Brownell wasn't sure how to explain why the Tigers have been playing better since conference play started.

"I don't know if I know all of the reasons why," Brownell said, adding his players are playing with more confidence and are communicating better."

Pitino gave Clemson credit for making shots when they had to and getting crucial stops, but he also lamented his own team's lack of understanding basic defensive skills.

"Because you have to worry about their 3-point shooting -- 35 percent of their shots are 3s -- you gotta be up on them," Pitino said.

Louisville is used to winning the turnover battle, but against Clemson, the Cardinals found themselves on the short end for a change. The Cardinals turned the ball over 17 times while the Tigers committed only 12 turnovers.

It doesn't get any easier for the Tigers as their next four games are each against ranked teams.

The Tigers have now defeated Florida State, Louisville and Syracuse in ACC play and next face No. 14 Duke on Wednesday.

Louisville will host No. 24 Pittsburgh on Thursday.

NOTES: Louisville was ranked in the top 20 (No. 17) in rebounds entering the game as the Cardinals averaged 42.1. ... After recording his first double-double of the season, Clemson F Landry Nnoko struggled scoring only two points, grabbing one rebound and committing four fouls. ... The Cardinals' only two losses before Sunday's game were to Michigan State (71-67) and Kentucky (75-73). ... Clemson was coming off a one-point win at Syracuse. ... The Cardinals recorded 11 20-point victories over nonconference opponents before squeaking out wins against Wake Forest and North Carolina State.