Boston College vs Clemson Predictions, Picks, and Odds: Girard Takes Aim From Deep

The Clemson Tigers are bound for the Big Dance but still have work to do in the ACC Tournament bracket. 

They open the postseason against the Boston College Eagles after earning a Round 1 bye, looking to pad their March Madness odds and take a run at the ACC tourney title (third overall fave in the conference tournament odds at +850). The college basketball odds have Clemson installed as a 7-point favorite for this 9:30 p.m. ET tipoff.

The Eagles, on the other hand, extended their winning streak to three games after thumping Miami in the opening round on Tuesday. While Boston College has been victorious in five of its last eight outings, all of those wins came versus either Miami or Louisville.

I dig into the spread and Over/Under total for this Round 2 matchup and give my best college basketball picks and predictions for Boston College versus Clemson on March 13.

Boston College vs Clemson best odds

Boston College vs Clemson picks and predictions

While all eyes will be under the rim for the battle of marquee big men — Quinten Post versus P.J. Hall — one of Clemson's perimeter options could benefit from a compacted key and plenty of clean air on the outside.

Tigers’ sharpshooter Joseph Girard gets a favorable matchup against Boston College, which struggles to defend the 3-point arc. The Eagles watch foes fire at better than 35% from distance and make close to eight triples an outing. 

According to ShotQuality Bets, Boston College sits 326th and 354th defending “catch-and-shoot” and “off-the-dribble” 3-point sets, in terms of points allowed per play. Clemson, conversely, is 52nd and 73rd in the country in the offensive flip of those metrics.

Girard dropped 26 on the Eagles when these teams battled back on January 13, finishing 5-for-11 from downtown. Heading into the ACC tournament, Girard is scoring more than 16 points per game over his last 10 outings while shooting just shy of 43% from outside.

But what really gives “Logo Joe” some pop for his projected performance for Wednesday is his ability to step up in big games. The senior transfer from Syracuse is unfazed by bigger venues — like Capital One Arena — and has shone brightly in the postseason.

At Cuse, Girard scored 23 points versus Duke in the ACC quarterfinals back in 2022 and has topped double figures in six of his nine career postseason games, averaging 11.5 ppg going back to his freshman season for the Orange.

Player projections for Wednesday’s meeting with Boston College are calling for 15-plus points from Girard, along with three 3-point makes. His scoring prop is set at 14.5 Over/Under, which is a bar he’s topped in seven of his last 10 games (with two efforts of 14 points in that span).

My best bet: Joseph Girard Over 14.5 points (-125 at FanDuel)

Boston College vs Clemson same-game parlay

Joseph Girard Over 14.5 points

Clemson moneyline

P.J. Hall Under 16.5 points

+303 at FanDuel

Clemson could find itself in a fight, but the Tigers are a much stronger foe than BC’s previous opponents and will walk away with the win.

Girard had 26 points versus the Eagles in January and with Post and Hall plugging up the paint, he’ll take advantage of the extra space outside.

Hall hasn’t had the greatest success versus Post in his college career. He scored 26 points against BC when Hall was out with the flu this season, but scored nine and 12 points in the previous two run-ins with Post (shooting just 7-for-21 combined).

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Best college basketball bonuses

 All Users
Instant payout for CBB moneylines
If your team goes up by 18! Claim Now

 All Users
25% boost for one CBB parlay
e.g. +400 BOOSTS to +500! Claim Now

Eligible USA locations only. Also, see our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2024.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Boston College vs Clemson spread and Over/Under analysis

Following Boston College’s impressive performance against Miami, oddsmakers opened Clemson as a 7.5-point neutral-site favorite. That line slimmed as low as -6.5 with early play on BC, but we’ve seen the market balance out to Tigers -7.

According to Covers Consensus, 64% of early picks are taking the points with the Eagles. Boston College is on a three-game winning streak, going back to the regular season but the validity of that run is questionable.

The Eagles have won five of their last eight games but each of those wins has come from either Miami (3) or Louisville (2) — two of the worst programs in the ACC. When BC is forced to step up in competition, it comes up short. Before this current run, Boston College lost four in a row SU and ATS and is just 13-17-1 ATS on the year.

The Tigers slipped to a No. 6 seed in the ACC tournament with an inconsistent finish to conference play. Clemson lost two of its final three contests, including a bad road loss at Notre Dame as a 6.5-point favorite. Overall, the Tigers are 17-13-1 ATS with a 9-6 ATS count in road/neutral games. 

The Eagles faced Clemson only once this year, losing 89-78 as 10.5-point road underdogs on January 13. However, Boston College was without star center Quinten Post and standout forward Prince Aligbe due to illness.

Wednesday’s total opened at 149 points and has dropped to as low as 148 as of Wednesday afternoon. The last meeting between Clemson and Boston College produced 167 points and blew past the closing total of 146 in mid-January.

The Eagles have gone Under in each of their last three games but own an 18-12-1 O/U mark on the season.

Clemson is 17-14 O/U on the year with an 8-7 O/U record away from home. The Tigers topped the total in their final two regular season games but were 3-6 O/U in their final nine games of the year.

Boston College vs Clemson betting trend to know

Joe Girard has scored more than 14.5 points in seven of his last 10 games, averaging 16.1 points per game in that span. Find more college basketball betting trends for Boston College vs. Clemson.

Boston College vs Clemson game info

Boston College vs Clemson key injuries

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic