The NC State Wolfpack take on the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the ACC Tournament, which will be played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. While NC State enters on a four-game losing streak, Clemson has won each of its past four.
Will the Tigers stay hot with an opening-round win over the Wolfpack? Check out our Clemson vs. NC State college basketball picks and predictions to find out.
Clemson vs NC State odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Tigers were favored by 5 when this line hit the board and they’re now laying either 5 or 5.5 in this meeting with the Wolfpack — they’re also taking most of the early tickets. The total, meanwhile, is down from 143.5 to 142.5 since opening.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Clemson vs NC State predictions
Predictions made on 3/7/2022 at 10:05 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Clemson vs NC State game info
• Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
• Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2022
• Tip-off: 4:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ACC Network
Clemson at NC State betting preview
Injuries
Clemson: Thomas Allen G (Out), Ernest Ross F (Out), Greg Gantt F (Out), Manny Bates F (Out).
NC State: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Clemson is 9-3 against the spread in its last 12 neutral-court games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Clemson vs. NC State.
Clemson vs NC State picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
The Wolfpack and Tigers have already met twice this season, with Clemson going 2-0 both straight-up and against the spread in those contests. The Tigers are now actually 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS in their last five meetings against the Wolfpack, and it’s just hard to see them not finding a way to get the job done in Brooklyn here. Even if you want to look beyond the fact that NC State was nine games under .500 this year and Clemson is sitting above that mark, the Tigers also just match up rather well with this Wolfpack squad.
NC State has just been completely miserable on the defensive end all year, as the team is 256th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency (all efficiency stats from KenPom.com). That’s just a nightmarish number for the Wolfpack, who happen to be facing a Tigers team that is 54th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. This Tigers offense is really pretty good, and the team should be able to get some good play out of PJ Hall, Al-Amir Dawes, David Collins and Hunter Tyson in this one. Dawes and Collins are both very good shooters, so they should get some great looks against this defense. Meanwhile, Tyson can step out and hit some jumpers also.
Defensively, the Tigers definitely aren’t a reliable team, but the objective will be easy against the Wolfpack. If Clemson’s defenders can get their hands up when Terquavion Smith has the ball on the perimeter, the team would be doing its job in this one. Smith is one heck of a scorer, but he’s especially dangerous from behind the 3-point line. Clemson also needs to do the opposite against Dereon Seabron, who is good at getting to the rim but doesn’t have a jumper.
Prediction: Clemson -5.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
These two teams combined to score only 135 points when they met on January 8, and it should be a little harder on both of them to shoot the ball at Barclays. It’s a massive arena, which means depth perception will be an issue early on. There’s also the issue with the NBA three-point line being out there, which leads to players sometimes taking shots from longer than they need to. In a game that has some shooters that already struggle to begin with, that’s going to be a problem for Over bettors — even if it’s one that ends up correcting itself by the second half.
It’s also worth noting that the Under is 4-1 in Clemson’s last five games, and it’s also 5-1 in the last six games that the Tigers have played against teams with winning percentages of 40.0% or worse. This Clemson team just isn’t likely to have trouble with an opponent this weak on the defensive end, even if NC State is a bit more talented than its record suggests.
Prediction: Under 143.5 (-110)
Best bet
Not only is Clemson 9-3 ATS in its last 12 neutral-court games, but the Tigers are also 7-0 ATS when facing teams that average at least 62.0 shots per game over the last two seasons. The Tigers have won those games in the latter situation by an average of 12.7 points per game, and it’s also worth mentioning that the Wolfpack are just 0-8 ATS when coming off a loss by 10 or more points this season. This NC State team really hasn’t responded well to poor performances, and it’s hard to see this group putting things together in such a big game.
It should also be noted that both Collins and Tyson are seniors, while Dawes is a junior. That type of experience can go a long way when facing an NC State team that is led by Seabron and Smith, who are both underclassmen. That matters in a postseason tournament.
Pick: Clemson -5.5 (-110)
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