The Louisville Cardinals win streak is no more. It was halted at Georgia Tech earlier in the week which should have Chris Mack’s kids ready to go to war when they invade Littlejohn on Saturday looking to sweep the regular season rivalry from the Clemson Tigers. Easier said than done however with Brad Brownell’s kids normally at their best when playing in front of the hometown faithful where they’ve logged 10 wins through 14 tries and covered the closing number at online sportsbooks in half of them. That said, Jordan Nwora and company already handled them with ease once trouncing the Tigers by 18 points three weeks back. This series has however been dominated by the home team since the programs started battling one another as ACC rivals back in 2015.
This ACC tussle will take place on Saturday, February 15, 2020 with tip-off at 4 p.m. ET from the Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, SC. The game will be broadcast live on the ACC Network. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
So maybe it wasn’t the letdown factor after all. The previous time The Ville took Georgia Tech on, it came a game removed from defeating Duke in front of the Cameron Crazies. Immediately following, the Ramblin’ Wreck invaded the KFC Yum! Center and gave the Redbirds all they could ask for and more before escaping with the 68-64 win and cover as 13-point favorites. Wednesday’s rematch in Atlanta proved that Georgia Tech simply just had it in them to hang with the nation’s No. 5 ranked team once again taking a 5-point lead with them into halftime before going on to win outright 64-58 as 6-point home dogs. The defeat put an end to the Cardinals 10-game win streak and dropped them to 6-2 SU and 4-3-1 ATS on the true road.
Clemson actually thought it was onto something after scoring back-to-back wins over both Duke and North Carolina in the middle of January. But like the Tigers have done so many times in the past, they teased CBB bettors in thinking they just might’ve turned the corner. Since logging those triumphs off a pair of ACC bluebloods, Clemson has gone 3-5 SU and ATS with Wednesday night’s road win at PITT snapping a three-game losing streak incurred against Wake Forest, Virginia and Notre Dame. Each of the Tigers last three home games were decided by an average of 2.7 points per game with the over cashing in twice. The Tigers haven’t been able to string multiple wins together since defeating the Tar Heels and Blue Devils in back-to-back games, but has defeated Louisville the two times they hosted it in ACC play.
Series Rivalry
The book on this matchup has been pretty easy to read when dealing with the $-line. Back the home team to win; it’s as easy as that! In the six matchups played dating back to 2015 as conference rivals, the home team has come out on top each and every time. As it stands, Louisville has held the upper hand overall in going 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS dating back to 2006. The last time the Tigers went off the board home dogs to the Cardinals, they scored the 66-62 outright win and cover as 6.5-point underdogs in a game that just came in under the closing 129.5-point total. Though the Cardinals dropped 80 on Clemson earlier this season, points are likely to be tougher to come by in the rematch with the Tigers back on the comfort of their home hardwood.
Prediction
I’m expecting the Cardinals to get their money’s worth again in this spot against a Clemson outfit that will be going all-out to avoid being swept in the regular season rivalry. For that to occur, the Tigers must do a better job of defending the perimeter after Darius Perry and others combined to knock down 10 of 21 shots from long range in the first meeting. It also needs to take more efficient shots closer to the rack. Though Clemson splashed down 11 long range shots, it still only converted 29 percent of them after hoisting 38 overall 3-pointers. That’s not going to do it. Tevin Mack failed to convert any of his six, and it helped lead the Tigers to an ugly 34 percent showing from the field. While I don’t think Clemson ultimately wins this game, it still might find a way to creep in through the backdoor and cover the number.
College Basketball Pick: Louisville 69, Clemson 64
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