All week long, many experts proclaimed that the Clemson Tigers were the most likely top seed to be upset in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Clemson made every naysayer eat their own words with a 79-68 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies on Friday night. The Tigers opened as a 5.5-point favorite according to the oddsmakers, but everyone was in on the Aggies, pushing the line down to 3.5 at close. This one went over the total of 133.
With the win, Clemson will now face another set of Tigers in an old rival, Auburn. The betting odds for this NCAA Tournament Second Round game will be released soon by BetDSI Sportsbook. Auburn should be around a three- or four-point favorite based upon some of the action we saw on these teams prior to the start of March Madness.
Clemson showed that it did not need Donte Grantham to beat New Mexico State. Grantham was injured two months ago, and the team went into a bit of a slump as it tried to cope without one of its star players. The Tigers never quit though and were rarely blown out in the tough ACC, proving that this side was still one to watch out for.
The guard play was what put Clemson over the top against New Mexico State. Marcquise Reed, Shelton Mitchell, and Gabe DeVoe lit up the Aggies perimeter defense by going a combined 25-42 from the floor in the win. The trio accounted for 60 of Clemson’s 79 points, leading the Tigers to a comfortable victory although they were outrebounded on the night.
Not many people were high on Clemson’s chances at winning the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were a No. 5 seed, but you could have snagged them at +15000 at BetDSI prior to the opening tip-off. Auburn had significantly lower odds to win March Madness at +6000.
