Virginia vs Clemson College Hoops Spread Guide

Posted by Eric Williams on Monday,February 29, 2016 2:34, EDT in

The Clemson Tigers will have heir hands full trying to stop the third-ranked Virginia Cavaliers when the two teams square off in their ACC conference clash on Tuesday night. You see, Clemson is playing out the string in a season that will likely end with a berth in the NIT tournament while Virginia looks to take another step toward securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA March Madness championship tournament. Now, let’s find out if the Tigers can pull off the college hoops betting upset or whether they’ll be subdued by Virginia’s lock-down defense.

How To Bet The No. 3 Virginia vs. Clemson NCAAB Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, March 1, 7:00 PM  ET
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, South Carolina
TV: ESPNU, ESPN3
Radio: WRVA
TV Stream: WatchESPN
NCAAB Odds: TBA

Why Bet The No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers

The Cavaliers (22-16 SU, 13-13 ATS) are a great bet in this contest because they’re simply the better team in every area. Virginia averages almost two points per game more than Clemson while allowing four fewer points per game defensively. The Cavs will also have the best player on the floor in this contest in All-American swingman Malcolm Brogdon.

The Cavs beat rival North Carolina 79-74 on Saturday and have beaten three other Top 25 teams this season in Villanova, Louisville and West Virginia. Brogdon scored a game-high 26 points for the Cavs against Carolina to lead. “I just had opportunities,” said Brogdon. “I try to come out aggressive every game. I try to take what the defense gives me but at the same time, I try to sense when my team is struggling on offense or doing well on offense and I try to adjust my game to that.”

Why Bet The Clemson Tigers

The only reason to back Clemson (16-12 SU, 14-10 ATS) in this contest is because they’re playing at home. The Tigers have lost two straight including their heartbreaking 75-73 loss against Georgia Tech on Saturday. Jaron Blossomgame led Clemson with 22 points, but missed a last-second jumper that would have given the Tigers the win.

Clemson got outscored 40-29 in the second half while allowing Georgia Tech to shoot a blistering 59.1 percent from the field. “We just don’t defend like a high-level team, we just don’t do it,” said Clemson coach Brad Brownell. “We couldn’t defend Adam Smith and Marcus Georges-Hunt.”

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Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

Virginia has alternated SU wins and losses over their last five games, but their win over North Carolina this weekend had to give them more confidence than they’ve had all season long. The Cavaliers have won four straight in this rivalry including their 69-62 win on Jan. 19 and will do so again against the underachieving Tigers because they have arguable the best defense in the country.

Virginia held Louisville to a mind-boggling 47 points on January 30 before limiting Boston College to the same number in their next game. The Cavs also held Pittsburgh to 50 points while holding Virginia Tech to just 49 points.

The bottom line is that Virginia’s defense will lead them to the decisive win, although I’m thinking Clemson will cover the spread against the Cavs for the second time this season. Besides, the home team in this ACC rivalry is 8-2-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.

My final score prediction: Virginia 71 Clemson 64