ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MATCHUP
#3 MIAMI HURRICANES (-5.5) VS CLEMSON TIGERS
After capturing their first win in february the Clemson Tigers return home to take on conference leaders the Miami Hurricanes. With tip-off is set for 6PM EST the Tigers (13-11) are still looking for their first win against a ranked opponent this season. While the Hurricanes (20-3) are trying to stay perfect in the ACC conference. For this matchup I am going with Miami to cover an easy -5.5.
Miami has been one of the best teams in the country since the beginning of 2013. They are undefeated in the new year and have yet to drop a contest against an ACC opponent. Something that I still don’t understand is how they are ranked behind #2 Duke, after blowing them out 90-63 a couple weeks ago. I expect with the Duke loss last night and a win today for Miami, we see them jump into the #2 spot this week, the highest ranking this basketball team has seen in programs history.
This Clemson team relies heavily on their defense to capture them wins. They are 22nd in the country giving up 58.6 points per game. But for this matchup it presents them with only a slight edge; Miami’s defense is 31st in the nation allowing 59.4 points per game. From this you can see both are great at stopping teams from getting to the bucket, but the difference is Miami is also first class at getting to the bucket. The Hurricanes average 70.6 points per game offensively (93rd) and seem to be reaching their stride at the perfect time. In their last four games they are averaging 78 points per game, while outscoring opponents by an average of 13.
The Tigers have been much better at home this season, but they haven’t faced a team like Miami. The Hurricanes have depth on both ends of the floor, and are going to challenge Clemson in every aspect of this game. Look for Miami to win their 13th in a row and stay undefeated against ACC opponents this season.
TRENDS
MIAMI
The Tigers have been much better at home this season, but they haven’t faced a team like Miami. The Hurricanes have depth on both ends of the floor, and are going to challenge Clemson in every aspect of this game. Look for Miami to win their 13th in a row and stay undefeated against ACC opponents this season.
TRENDS
MIAMI
- 15-3 against the spread in all games this season
- 11-2 against the spread as a favourite this season
- 14-3 against the spread when playing a team with a winning record this season
- 5-1 against the spread versus poor offensive teams scoring 64 PPG or less after 15+ games the last 3 seasons
CLEMSON
- 0-2 against the spread as a home underdog of 3.5-6 points the last 3 seasons
- 38-145 straight up as an underdog since 1997
- 8-13 against the spread off a win against a conference rival the last 3 seasons
FINAL SCORE – HURRICANES 73 – TIGERS 59