The players were locked out for several minutes, and head coach Brad Brownell had to address his team from the halls of Spectrum Center.
Brownell said that nothing like that had ever happened "at this level."
"It’s disappointing, obviously," he added.
An ACC spokesperson said it is unclear how the door, which locks from the inside, wound up getting locked. The conference posts a security guard outside every locker room for every game, and there had never been any incidents reported before.
The ACC did add two minutes to halftime, but it seemed apparent that Clemson was at least a bit flustered to start the second half. They eventually fell behind by 15 after going more than six minutes without a field goal.
The Tigers finally got some momentum and cut the lead to two with a furious rally and had a chance to take the lead after Louisville was called for a shot clock violation.
But James Scott blocked Hunter's drive after switching off his man, Chucky Hepburn made one of two free throws with six seconds left to make a three-point game, and Chase Hunter's leaning three-point shot from 25 feet at the buzzer missed.
Terrence Edwards scored 21 points, J’Vonne Hadley added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinals. They will have to go against top-ranked Duke, who squeaked by longtime rival UNC in the semifinal without Cooper Flagg in order to get their first conference title.
President Donald Trump kicked off the week driving a red Tesla on the White House South Lawn and closed out the week addressing the Department of Justice.
In his remarks Friday, Trump railed against former President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice and accused the agency of turning into the "department of injustice."
"Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the department of injustice," Trump said Friday at the Department of Justice. "But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over, and they are never going to come back."
Trump has regularly condemned the Justice Department and the FBI since his first administration after multiple investigations and lawsuits filed against him. For example, the FBI investigated Trump and his 2016 campaign for alleged collusion with Russia. The probe determined there was no evidence the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the outcome of the election.
Under the Biden administration, Trump faced more legal scrutiny when former Attorney General Merrick Garland tapped former special counsel Jack Smith in 2020 to conduct investigations into alleged efforts by Trump to overturn the 2020 election results and Trump’s alleged efforts to preserve classified materials at Mar-a-Lago after his first term as president.
"They tried to turn America into a corrupt communist and Third World country, but, in the end, the thugs failed, and the truth won," Trump said. "Freedom won. Justice won. Democracy won. And, above all, the American people won."
A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Here are some other key moments from the week:
Trump also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Thursday, and the two discussed efforts to bolster NATO’s defense spending and the U.S. potentially acquiring Greenland.
Trump has long advocated for NATO allies to boost defense spending to between 2% and 5% of gross domestic product. He also has called for European nations to pick up more responsibility for defending their continent.
"You're starting to hear the British prime minister and others all committing to much higher defense spending," Rutte told reporters Thursday at the White House. "We're not there. We need to do more, but I really want to work together with you ... to make sure that we will have a NATO which is really reinvigorated under your leadership. And we are getting there.
"When you look at Trump 47, what happened the last couple of weeks is really staggering."
He made the remarks after an $841 billion proposal European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pitched March 4 for European Union nations to up their defense spending.
Additionally, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed in February to boost his country's defense spending to 2.5% of its gross domestic value. That is up from the 2.3% the U.K. currently spends and amounts to a nearly $17 billion increase.
Trump also expressed optimism during the meeting about the likelihood of the U.S. acquiring Greenland, even though the Danish territory has said it’s not interested in Trump’s offer.
"I think it'll happen," Trump told reporters Thursday. "And I'm just thinking. I didn't give it much thought before, but I'm sitting with a man that could be very instrumental. You know, Mark, we need that for international security, not just security, international."
In response, Rutte said he didn’t want to "drag NATO" into the discussions but said Arctic countries must work with the U.S. to preserve security in the region as Russian and Chinese vessels increase their activity there.
The White House shut down concerns Tuesday and Wednesday that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) ordered employees to destroy classified documents amid efforts by the Trump administration to close the agency.
USAID acting Executive Secretary Erica Carr emailed employees, instructing them to begin shredding and burning documents, according to a motion that government labor unions filed in a federal court Tuesday.
But the documents remain available on computer systems, and Carr’s directive coincides with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s impending move into the USAID building, according to White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
"This was sent to roughly three dozen employees," Kelly said in an X post regarding Carr’s order Tuesday night. "The documents involved were old, mostly courtesy content (content from other agencies), and the originals still exist on classified computer systems. More fake news hysteria!"
All involved in purging the documents had a secret security clearance or higher and were not among the USAID employees on administrative leave, an administration official told Fox News Digital Wednesday.
Those involved were familiar with the content they were handling and were specifically appointed by the agency to review and eliminate materials, the official said.
Thousands of employees at USAID were either fired or placed on administrative leave in February, following recommendations from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut wasteful spending.
Trump bought a red Tesla Tuesday and showed off the vehicle on the White House’s South Lawn with SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who heads DOGE. The event coincided with Tesla’s stock dipping earlier in the week, but the share price rose after the White House event.
Democrats were quick to pass judgment on the move, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee labeled the Trump administration the "most corrupt administration in American history."
Canada is reviewing its contract with Lockheed Martin for F-35 fighter jets, the country's Defense Minister said.
The review comes amid rising tensions between Ottawa and Washington.
It comes after Portugal said it was also reconsidering purchasing the jet.
Canada is reviewing its contract with US defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin to purchase F-35 fighter jets, its defense minister said on Friday.
Speaking to CBC, Bill Blair said he had spoken with newly appointed Prime Minister Mark Carney and that they were now looking at "other alternatives" to the F-35.
"It was the fighter jet identified by our air force as the platform that they required, but we are also examining other alternatives," Blair said.
"Whether we need all of those fighter jets to be F-35s or if there might be alternatives, the prime minister has asked me to go and examine those things and have discussions with other sources, particularly where there may be opportunities to assemble those fighter jets in Canada," he added.
Canada finalized a contract in 2023 to purchase 88 F-35 jets for C$19 billion (around $13.2 billion), with the first aircraft expected to be delivered to the F-35 training center at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona in 2026. The jet is set to arrive in Canada in 2028.
Lockheed Martin beat out Sweden's Saab — maker of the Gripen E jet — and Boeing — which produces the F/A-18 Super Hornet — to secure the contract.
Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Melo told local outlet Público on Thursday that he was wary of replacing older US-made F-16 fighter jets with F-35s in the wake of President Donald Trump's recent policy shifts.
Melo said Trump's unpredictability with regard to his stance on NATO meant Portugal had to weigh up other options, adding: "We cannot ignore the geopolitical environment in our choices."
Business Insider has contacted the Canadian Defense Ministry and Lockheed Martin for comment.
Blair's announcement comes amid heightened tensions between Ottawa and Washington over Trump's repeated tariff threats and comments about adopting Canada as the 51st US state.
Trump's moves have led to an outpouring of patriotism in Canada and have seen locals push back by abandoning US consumer brands in favor of Canadian alternatives.
Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
DraftKings is expanding original games for its online casino.
It's modeling the user experience after Netflix and the way it delivers recommendations.
DraftKings' online casino business grew 21% year over year in the fourth quarter.
DraftKings is modeling its online casino experience after Netflix as it expands its focus on original games.
Chief Product Officer Corey Gottlieb said Netflix's content recommendations inspired his team at DraftKings. He spoke this week at Next.io's Next Summit, a gambling conference in New York.
Netflix's app is known for surfacing shows and movies based on what users have watched, grouping titles in unique categories, and puttinghighlights, like new releases or Christmas movies around the holidays, at the top of the homepage.
Swiping through DraftKings' casino app, users can similarly find "lobbies" with carousels of games. They include the top 10 slots or table games, titles that are "only at DraftKings," recently played games, suggested games for a particular user, and games grouped by themes like "spin the wheel." The app even has an "Easter Hunt" section right now with spring-themed games like "Charmed Rabbits" and "Celtic Gold."
"It was really modeled after Netflix from a content delivery perspective," Gottlieb said. "This next-gen lobby product we've created essentially allows our operators to manage dozens of lobbies concurrently with one another, and every lobby is themed."
Gottlieb said there are also lobbies tailored for different types of bettors like VIPs and casual gamers.
The Netflix model is part of DraftKings' merchandising strategy, one of three pillars of its product plan that also includes in-house content and gamification.
DraftKings has doubled down on original content to propel its casino business. Gottlieb said the company now produces 110 original titles through its casino studio, which made up about half of the amount wagered on its casino games last year, a metric known as handle. That was out of the thousands of games it offers.
While online casino gambling is legal in a small portion of the US, the business is key to DraftKings' future because of its growth potential. DraftKings acquired Golden Nugget Online Gaming and software company Blue Ribbon a few years ago to pave its entry into the space. It's also bet on adjacent areas like digital lottery through the purchase of Jackpocket.
DraftKings' revenue from its online casino, referred to as igaming, grew about 21% year over year in the fourth quarter to $426 million, according to a financial presentation. Overall revenue for the period was up 13% year over year.
DraftKings is developing more of its own games and betting markets
Gottlieb said producing in-house content is part of a larger plan to create more originals across its business, including the sportsbook.
It's creating more of its own bets, rather than relying on third parties for live betting or same-game parlays on different outcomes within a game.
"We have made a major investment both in bringing new content to market," and in "bringing that content in-house," Gottlieb said, referring to betting markets.
He said this gives DraftKings more control over areas like pricing and the types of bets it offers, helping the company stand out in a "very redundant" marketplace.
Gottlieb said that by the end of 2025, all DraftKings' live and in-game betting content will be in-house.
"The goal for us initially was, how do we just sort of reduce a third-party dependency, create some cost savings?" Gottlieb said. "And what we sort of found our way into was a fully functional end-to-end studio with everything from game development to in-house."
The Sens are in good shape, but five teams within two points are vying for the second spot. Plus, full playoff projections, draft lottery standings, more.
Some Canadians in the west of the country are thrilled with President Trump’s pledge to make the Great White North the 51st state in the union -- and are eager to pledge their allegiance.
Reviews season is in full swing, and we've been busy at Engadget HQ. Laptops, desktops, earbuds, gaming handhelds and even an ice cream machine are among our slate of recent reviews. The great thing about this time of year is there's really something for everyone among the in-depth testing our team undertakes. So sit back, relax and catch up on all the reviews you might've missed.
Apple MacBook Air M4 13-inch and 15-inch
The M4-equipped MacBook Air is now available, and so is Devindra's detailed review of the new Apple laptop. "The M4-equipped MacBook Air is a nearly flawless ultraportable," he declared. "Even better, it now starts at $999, which is $100 less than before. While I'd still like to see more ports and a faster screen refresh rate, the MacBook Air still remains heads and shoulders above the competition."
Apple Mac Studio M4 Max
While the M3 Ultra configuration may be the absolute fastest Mac Studio, Steve argued that the powerful M4 Max version is the better and more affordable option for most power users. But, do you actually need one? Well, that depends. "If you regularly edit 4K (or higher) videos or render 3D graphics (or play games), you’d be better off with the Mac Studio," he wrote. "For less demanding jobs, a Mac mini will likely suffice."
Ninja Swirl by Creami
Soft serve ice cream at home is no longer a fantasy thanks to Ninja's Creami machine. Sam was impressed by its versatility, but he noted that the ability to make larger batches would make the gadget even better. "Not only can it create delicious concoctions that rival what you can buy from a store (and for way cheaper), it can handle pretty much any other frozen treat you can think of — all in one gadget," he explained. "My biggest gripe is that the Swirl isn’t available in a deluxe size like you can get with its predecessor."
Technics AZ100
Technics' latest earbuds impressed me during a brief introduction at CES and they continued to do so during my full review. New drivers deliver big sound upgrades and three-device multipoint is only available on this company's earbuds. "Technics thought it could make its well-reviewed AZ80 even better by borrowing tech from another entry in its portfolio and the gamble has definitively paid off," I wrote. "Sure, you can find better noise-canceling performance with Bose and more modern features with Sony, but Technics has formulated excellent sound quality that few can challenge."
MSI Claw 8 AI+
MSI may have stumbled with its first gaming handheld, but Sam argues that the Claw 8 AI+ is the company's redemption. "After the original bombed, a lot of companies would have simply called it quits," he said. "But with the Claw 8 AI+, MSI came back and totally redeemed itself. Not only is it a very competent gaming handheld, this cat offers a solid design, great performance and above-average battery life."
Other notable reviews: M3 iPad Air, Sorry We're Closed and more GPUs
Apple also debuted a new iPad Air recently, and while it isn't a huge update, Nate wrote that the M3 upgrade still makes it easy to recommend. Jess took Sorry We're Closed for a ride on PS5, specifically calling out the "epic storyline" with "heartbroken club kids and horny demons," along with a killer soundtrack. Devindra's work reviewing GPUs is seemingly never done, and in the last two weeks he reviewed AMD's Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5070. He also put the ASUS Zenbook 14 through its paces.
If you're in the market for a Wi-Fi 7 setup, you'll want to check out Dan's review of the Eero Pro 7 where basic features are locked behind an additional purchase. Amy re-reviewed the Apple Watch SE and she has a long list of requests for Apple to include — whenever it finally decides to update its "budget" wearable.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-macbook-air-mac-studio-ninja-creami-and-technics-az100-123020577.html?src=rss
More legal issues for Puddle of Mudd's Wes Scantlin ... police arrested him after cops say he got physical with his girlfriend. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police in Torrance, CA received a call to an apartment around 3 AM Tuesday night…
Poland’s prime minister has made a tongue-in-cheek offer to U_S_ actor and director Jesse Eisenberg, who recently gained Polish citizenship, to give him military training that would land him “the new James Bond role.”
The Caesars Sportsbook promo code POSTBETDYW offers users who bet at least $1 a return of 10 100% profit boost tokens, and target this best bet for Auburn vs. Tennessee in the SEC Tournament.
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