Virginia Tech vs Clemson ACC Tournament Picks and Predictions: Getting Struck By Clemson's Claws

The Clemson Tigers were able to hang on with a narrow win and cover over the NC State Wolfpack in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

Now, the team will look to move to the third round with an upset win over a Virginia Tech Hokies team that the Tigers beat just last week. 

Will the Hokies get revenge on their opponent in this one? Find out by reading our college basketball picks and predictions for Clemson vs. Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech vs Clemson odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

Depending on where you look, you can get his total anywhere between 134 or 131.5, so it’s important to be making sure you have as many options as possible. Meanwhile, the spread opened with Virginia Tech -4.5 in this game and is now anywhere between 3.5 and 4.5.

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.

Virginia Tech vs Clemson predictions

• Prediction: Clemson +4.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 134 (-110)
• Best bet: Clemson +4.5 (-110)

Predictions made on 3/9/2022 at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Virginia Tech vs Clemson game info

• Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
• Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2022
• Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2

Virginia Tech at Clemson betting preview

Injuries

Virginia Tech: No injuries to report.
Clemson: 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 games as a neutral-court underdog. Find more NCAA betting trends for Virginia Tech vs. Clemson.

Virginia Tech vs Clemson 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

Clemson earned a 63-59 win over Virginia Tech when these teams met last week.

PJ Hall had 12 points to get the Tigers across the finish line in that one, and the big man should be a big part of the reason that Brad Brownell’s team has a great chance of getting to the third round of this tournament.

With Hall’s combination of mobility and skill at the center position, the team really has a nice advantage in the post in this matchup.

It also helps that the team has a stretch forward in Hunter Tyson. He’s imperative to the Tigers’ floor spacing, and the team also has Naz Bohannon off the bench. Bohannon is a strong player with a ton of energy, and his intensity and change of pace as a wrecking ball around the basket helped the team beat NC State last game.

The Hokies don’t seem to have a problem giving up a lot of size, as they trust their perimeter players on most nights. However, the Tigers have what it takes to outplay them there. Al-Amir Dawes, David Collins, Chase Hunter and Nick Honor are all sturdy options, and you really never know which one of them is going to go off on any given night.

It was Honor that came up big against NC State in the first round and he was one of the more unlikely options out of that group. Dawes, however, is the one that should step up in this big of a game. He had 10 points against the Hokies in their win last week, but he’s capable of doing more damage than that.

Clemson’s biggest priority in this game has to be defending the 3-point shot. The Hokies have quite a few guys that can step up and drill shots from deep, with Hunter Cattoor being the most lethal one.

Justyn Mutts is, however, the most versatile player on this team, and he’ll be the guy that the Tigers will be most focused on. Keve Aluma is the leading scorer for this Virginia Tech team, but he could have some trouble with Clemson’s size around the basket. He had just seven points when these teams met last week, while Mutts and Nahiem Alleyne combined to score 32.

For what it’s worth, Brownell is a smart defensive coach and he should have his guys prepared for a second meeting with this Hokies team. 

Prediction: Clemson +4.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

These teams played a really low-scoring game last week and the teams should only be more prepared for one another this time around.

Clemson’s defensive numbers might not be great this season, but the team is usually rather solid on that end of the floor. The Tigers should be able to do a decent job of defending the Hokies shooters, and it helps that they have the size inside to frustrate their opponent here.

It’s also worth mentioning that both of these teams play at extremely slow paces. In fact, only 13 teams played at a slower tempo than Virginia Tech this year. Meanwhile, Clemson didn’t crack the Top 200 in pace, and the team likes to play through its big men. 

Given the way these two teams play the game, it shouldn’t surprise you that the Under is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings between these teams. The two haven’t gone Over the total in a game against one another since 2017 and it’s just hard to see that changing in a tournament setting.

Both teams are going to be locked in on defense and this should actually be the most intense ACC game of the day. 

Prediction: Under 134 (-110)

Best bet

Clemson is 11-5 against the spread in its last 16 games following a straight-up win, and the team is also 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games as a neutral-court underdog.

The Tigers are also 4-1 ATS in their last five neutral-site games overall while the Hokies are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games on a neutral court. 

Virginia Tech is a really sound team on both ends of the floor, but so is Brownell’s team. Had it not been for some bad injury luck, the Tigers would likely be in the running for a spot in the NCAA Tournament right now.

This team isn’t taking the clean slate of the ACC Tournament for granted and will be looking forward to this matchup with Virginia Tech. The Tigers know they can win after getting by the Hokies last week. 

Pick: Clemson +4.5 (-110)

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