1 hour ago
3
North Carolina guard Luka Bogavac (44) reacts after hitting a shot with Pittsburgh forward Cameron Corhen (2) looking on during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Chapel Hill, N.C.
AP
Clemson and No. 19 North Carolina meet in the ACC quarterfinals on Thursday, just nine days after the Tar Heels defeated the Tigers, 67-63.
Tigers bettors were beaten by the hook on the 3.5-point spread, and the point total resulted in a country mile from the 141.5 Over/Under line.
Luke Bogavac came off the bench to sink a career-high 20 points and hit six 3s to seal a perfect 18-0 mark in Chapel Hill this year. Clemson’s leading point-scorer, RJ Godfrey, doubled his average output for his season-high at 22 points, but Bogavac’s late free throws ultimately proved the difference in the absence of Tar Heels star Caleb Wilson.
The Tar Heels have been preparing for this game since falling to No. 1 Duke, 76-61, in their regular-season finale on Saturday.
Clemson vs. North Carolina prediction, odds
On the other hand, Clemson is on the second leg of a back-to-back after downing Wake Forest, 71-62, on Wednesday. That was a snail-paced game that featured half-court possessions with scoring droughts, and there’s reason to believe we will see more of the same here.
The Tigers forced 12 turnovers, recorded five blocks, and kept Wake Forest out of the paint and off the free-throw line.
They also lost their second-leading scorer in Carter Welling, who suffered a right-knee injury.
The total for this game only dropped to 140.5 since last week’s Clemson-UNC matchup that only made for 65 possessions.
The Tigers improved to No. 19 overall in KenPom’s defensive efficiency ratings after Wednesday’s win. They finished behind only Duke in ACC points against average because they dictate tempo and force opponents deep into the shot clock, which stunts opponents from playing in transition.
They are one of the slowest teams in college hoops, ranking No. 347 of the 365 Division I programs in adjusted tempo, per Bart Torvik.
Betting on College Basketball?
- Check out the best College Basketball betting sites
- Read the latest March Madness odds
We’ve seen some frustration from UNC when they are faced with low-possession battles, as they flourish when they can run and play in space.
We’ve seen more half-court perimeter creation with North Carolina since their primary interior scorer, Wilson, went down, who was bucketing 19.8 points per game and snagging 9.4 rebounds.
The Tar Heels aren’t efficient at defensive turnovers, either, so Clemson should be in a comfortable spot to walk the ball up and settle into half-court sets in another grind-it-out tournament game.
THE PLAY: Under 140.5 (-110, bet365)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
English (US)