It’s almost a chalk Sweet 16 matchup from Omaha on Friday night when No. 1 Kansas of the Big 12 takes on No. 5 Clemson of the ACC for a trip to the Elite Eight. The Jayhawks, playing not too far from campus, are solid March Madness odds favorites to advance and face the Duke/Syracuse winner.
The Tigers reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in more than 20 years after Sunday’s 84-53 win over an Auburn team that had claimed a share of the SEC championship. Gabe DeVoe led four double-digit scorers with 22 points. Elijah Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Clemson, which closed the first half with a 25-4 run.
This is an elite defensive squad that recorded a 46-for-80 combined mark inside the arc in wins over New Mexico State and Auburn, a pair of good teams. The final 10 1/2 minutes of the first half were a nightmare for Auburn, which made only 6 of 33 shots (18.2 percent) in the first half and 17 of 66 overall (25.8 percent). It’s Clemson’s first Sweet 16 in 21 years. Not bad for a team picked to finish 13th in the 15-team ACC in the preseason media poll.
The Tigers rank seventh nationally in two-point percentage defense and also are 23rd in block rate. Their best rim-protector is the 6-foot-9 forward Thomas, who had the highest block percentage of any ACC player during league play. As a whole, Clemson held opponents to 52-percent accuracy on shots at the rim, a mark that ranks 17th nationally.
Five of the Tigers’ top eight scorers came to Clemson as their second school. That includes top scorer Marcquise Reed (Robert Morris) along with David Skara (Valparaiso), Thomas (Texas A&M), Shelton Mitchell (Vanderbilt) and Mark Donnal (Michigan). Coach Brad Brownell says the staff has started to hold back scholarships to pursue guys who might want a new start at Clemson. Loading up on transfers also has worked well for fellow Sweet 16 team Nevada.
How to Bet Kansas vs. Clemson March Madness Odds & Sweet 16 Info
When: Friday, 7:07 PM ET Where: CenturyLink Center, Omaha TV: CBS Radio: Tunein.com Opening March Madness Odds: KU -4.5Next stop ➡ OMAHA! More from round ✌ of @marchmadness: https://t.co/RQl6B2913H #KUbball pic.twitter.com/q4xwh6Obs4
— Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) March 18, 2018
Why Bet on Kansas?
Kansas (28-7) struggled a bit early in Round 1 before pulling away to beat Penn 76-60 and then beat No. 8 Seton Hall on Saturday, 83-79. The Jayhawks are playing a four-guard lineup that works best when Udoka Azubuike is healthy and avoiding foul trouble. That wasn’t the case against Seton Hall, as he was hindered by a sprained MCL and drew his fourth foul with 8:53 to play, but Kansas still beat Angel Delgado and Seton Hall with a strong finish. On a day when Devonte’ Graham finished 1-for-7 from the field, Azubuike played only 22 minutes and still had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Azubuike changed the game in limited time. Malik Newman led all scorers with 28 points as Kansas advanced to its third-straight Sweet 16 and 10th in the last 15 seasons. During the postseason (five games) Newman gone 38-of-52 (73 percent) from the field, including a 19-of-32 (59.4 percent) clip from 3-point range. After KU led by more than 13 points in the second half and the upset-minded Pirates quickly trimming the Jayhawk advantage, Newman exploded for 18 of his team’s final 23 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers and eight free throws to help KU withstand the upset bid. Kansas hit 18-of-25 (60.0 percent) of its shots in the second half, marking the 13th time the Jayhawks have been 60 percent of better from the field in a half this season. The Jayhawks scored 20 points off Seton Hall’s 15 turnovers. In the postseason, Kansas is averaging 17.0 ppg on its opponents’ giveaways. The win gave Bill Self his 35 NCAA Tournament victory at Kansas, the most ever by a KU head coach. It moved KU to 14-3 away from Allen Fieldhouse this season and 8-0 on neutral floors in 2017-18.Why Bet on Clemson?
The Tigers reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in more than 20 years after Sunday’s 84-53 win over an Auburn team that had claimed a share of the SEC championship. Gabe DeVoe led four double-digit scorers with 22 points. Elijah Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Clemson, which closed the first half with a 25-4 run.
This is an elite defensive squad that recorded a 46-for-80 combined mark inside the arc in wins over New Mexico State and Auburn, a pair of good teams. The final 10 1/2 minutes of the first half were a nightmare for Auburn, which made only 6 of 33 shots (18.2 percent) in the first half and 17 of 66 overall (25.8 percent). It’s Clemson’s first Sweet 16 in 21 years. Not bad for a team picked to finish 13th in the 15-team ACC in the preseason media poll.
The Tigers rank seventh nationally in two-point percentage defense and also are 23rd in block rate. Their best rim-protector is the 6-foot-9 forward Thomas, who had the highest block percentage of any ACC player during league play. As a whole, Clemson held opponents to 52-percent accuracy on shots at the rim, a mark that ranks 17th nationally.
Five of the Tigers’ top eight scorers came to Clemson as their second school. That includes top scorer Marcquise Reed (Robert Morris) along with David Skara (Valparaiso), Thomas (Texas A&M), Shelton Mitchell (Vanderbilt) and Mark Donnal (Michigan). Coach Brad Brownell says the staff has started to hold back scholarships to pursue guys who might want a new start at Clemson. Loading up on transfers also has worked well for fellow Sweet 16 team Nevada.
Latest March Madness Odds Trends
- Clemson are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up win.
- Tigers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win.
- Tigers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. Big 12.
- Kansas 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games.
- Jayhawks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 NCAA Tournament games.
- Jayhawks are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. Atlantic Coast.
