Offense meets defense when the No. 19 North Carolina Tar Heels (16-6, 5-4 ACC) visit Clemson to take on the No. 20 Tigers (17-4, 6-3 ACC). The game gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.
Neither team is favored and the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 146 points.
North Carolina Tar Heels at Clemson Tigers Free Prediction
In the Tar Heels’ last matchup, they were topped by the North Carolina State Wolfpack, 95-91. North Carolina State’s turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over North Carolina. The Wolfpack had a rate of 9.7 (better than their season average of 14.4), while the Tar Heels posted a mark of 14.8. Luke Maye was the top scorer from either team with 31 points on 12-for-23 shooting.
The Tigers won a close one over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their last game, 72-70. The Tigers, who came into the game averaging an offensive rebounding percentage of 26.1, had a fantastic mark of 39.4 and had a turnover percentage of 9.6 (better than their season average of 16.8). With 13 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, Marcquise Reed had a good outing for Clemson.
Second-chance opportunities might be scarce for Clemson in this contest. The Tigers are among the nation’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking 261st in offensive rebounding percentage at 26.7 percent. Meanwhile, North Carolina ranks 21st in the NCAA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebounding percentage of 76.4 percent. Also, the 47th-ranked offense of the Tar Heels (offensive efficiency of 113.1) will clash against the 45th-ranked defense of the Tigers (defensive efficiency of 96.4).
North Carolina has a phenomenal 16-6 straight up (SU) record, but they are just 9-9-3 against the spread (ATS). Of the Tar Heels’ 21 games with betting action, nine have finished under, 11 have finished over and one has pushed.
Meanwhile, Clemson is 17-4 SU and 10-7-1 ATS. Vegas is highly precise when predicting totals of Tigers games, with an even split between overs and unders.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Theo Pinson put up 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists and the Tar Heels beat the Tigers 87-79, resulting in a push. The game finished with a total of 166 points, which was 19 points above the projected point total of 147 points. The Tar Heels made 20 of their 24 free throws (83.3 percent) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.657 vs. 0.580).
North Carolina Tar Heels at Clemson Tigers Pick
Pick: SU Winner – North Carolina, ATS Winner – North Carolina, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, North Carolina is 4-6-1 ATS with 8 unders and 3 overs.
Clemson is 7-1 ATS at home with 5 unders and 3 overs.
Clemson ranks 36th in assists allowed per game (11.2) while North Carolina ranks 203rd (15.0).
The Tigers average 5.4 blocks per game, which ranks 17th in the nation. The Tar Heels rank 166th in blocks allowed per game (4.5).
North Carolina ranks first in rebounds per game (43.4) while Clemson ranks 150th (35.6).
The Tigers rank 135th in three pointers allowed per game (21.7) while the Tar Heels rank 279th (27.0).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, North Carolina is 0-3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Clemson is 2-2-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Tar Heels’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 1.6, down from 9.7 for the season.
During their last five games, the Tigers have scored an average of 65.2 points per game (9.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 67.8 points per game (2.6 above their season average).
