The No. 5 Clemson Tigers tangle with the No. 13 Miami Hurricanes in the second round of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro on Wednesday afternoon.
Clemson enjoyed a bye into the second round and wrapped the regular season with six wins in its last seven conference games (4-3 ATS), including a 66-58 home win over Miami in which it fell short as 13-point college basketball betting chalk. The Hurricanes scored a small upset in the first round of the postseason Tuesday, pulling away from Pitt for a 79-73 victory.
Here are our NCAA basketball betting free picks and predictions for Miami vs. Clemson on March 10.
Miami vs Clemson odds
Sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonClemson opened -9 on Tuesday night at FanDuel, and save for a few minor price adjustments, the line hasn’t budged off -9 as of 11:30 a.m. ET today. That’s because this matchup is drawing two-way action on the spread, with 51 percent of bets and 55 percent of money on the favored Tigers. The total bounced between 126.5 and 126 a couple of times and is currently at the 126.5 opener, with 90 percent of bets/86 percent of cash on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this game
Miami Hurricanes vs Clemson Tigers betting preview
Injuries
Miami: Chris Lykes G (Out), Harlond Beverly G (Out), Earl Timberlake G (Out).
Clemson: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Clemson has stayed Under the total in six of its last nine games overall. Find more NCAA betting trends for Miami vs. Clemson.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Hurricanes battled hard in the opening round and took advantage of plenty of freebies in a poor Pitt performance, picking up 22 points off of 14 turnovers from the Panthers and cashing in on 22-of-28 free throws. Miami also spread the love around on offense, getting double figures in points from all five starters and going only two deep into the bench due to an injury-plagued roster.
The tournament format isn’t doing Jim Larrañaga’s program any favors. The Canes have a quick turnaround before facing the Tigers and one of the toughest defenses in the ACC. Clemson gave up an average of just 58 points in those final seven games of the schedule and rank 15th in the country in KenPom.com’s valuable adjusted defensive efficiency.
Clemson beat Miami twice in the regular season but failed to cover in each of those contests. Miami has plenty of momentum but might not have much gas left in the motor. While the Canes could fight hard for the opening 20 minutes, the Tigers won’t give anything away for free. They’re limiting their turnovers to nine per game over the past three outings and have sent opponents to the foul line only 14 times per contest in that same span.
PREDICTION: Clemson -9 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The Canes came out firing in the first half of Tuesday’s tournament opener, scoring 40 points in the opening 20 minutes after averaging only 29.3 first-half points on the season. Miami scored 22 points from the foul line with the clock stopped, which helped push the final score Over the 135.5-point number.
As the short-handed Hurricanes continue to lean hard on those starters in Game 2, legs will get heavy and shots will fall short in the second half. Clemson is one of the stingiest defenses in the land, limiting shooters to just 41.3 percent shooting from the field, and checking foes to only 33 points against in the final 20 minutes (31st in the land).
The Tigers post a mere 61.7 points per game away from home on the year and played Under the total in six of its final ACC regular season matchups, including the February 27 meeting with Miami. Clemson runs one of the slowest offensive tempos in the country (338th), stretching its average possession time to 18 seconds on the season.
PREDICTION: Under 127 (-110)
Miami vs Clemson betting card
- Clemson -9 (-110)
- Under 127 (-110)
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