Clemson Men’s Basketball destroys State, now faces Virginia

Clemson Men’s Basketball needed a victory Thursday night, and frankly needed to make a statement to the selection committee if they wanted to be in the Big Dance.

A statement is what they made. The Tigers eliminated the North Carolina State Wolfpack from the ACC Tournament with a 80-54 win in Greensboro.

All five Tiger starters were big contributors. PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin led the way with 15 points each. Hunter Tyson was clutch, pulling in 12 rebounds on a rare night when Clemson had more total rebounds and offensive rebounds than their opponent.

Alex Middlebrooks and Dillon Hunter both came off the bench to contribute 8 points each in roughly twenty minutes on the floor.

Virginia disposed of North Carolina 68-59, putting a big dent in the Tar Heels hopes of making the NCAA Tournament.

The other semifinal will match top-seed Miami against Duke.

The Tigers are in good shape to be on the right side of the bubble this Sunday when the tournament field is announced. Considering that there are several variables that play into the bubble, such as unexpected teams winning automatic bids, Clemson will need a strong showing against the ‘Hoos to be 100% certain they  will qualify.

This victory also goes a long way for head coach Brad Brownell, who was perceived to be on the hot seat if his team didn’t make the Big Dance this season.

Clemson Men’s Basketball is a 3.5 point underdog to Virginia, with an over/under of 127.5

The Cavaliers are favored by 3.5 points against the Tigers. The expected points total is 127.5, which suggests a 65.5-62.0 UVA victory.

John Chancey (20-12, 12-20 ATS):

Virginia proved their abilities last week, and demonstrated that they are a matchup problem for Clemson. Scoring against Notre Dame and State isn’t the same as scoring on the Cavaliers. They also aren’t playing in Charlottesville.

I’ve been fooled by hot performances before, but to quote Michael Scott, “I’m definitely ready to be hurt again.”

Marty Coleman (22-10, 14-18 ATS):

If Clemson thinks they proved anything last night in routing North Carolina State for the third time this season, they could be mistaken.  Personally, I think they should be in with the wisdom of Jay Bilas ringing in my head. “It shouldn’t be about who you lost to, but who you can beat and Clemson can beat good teams.” (paraphrasing)

Then I wake up and learn the Tigers are STILL on the theoretical bubble.

Much as it was difficult for the Wolfpack to duplicate their effort for a second consecutive night, the same will be true of the Tigers this evening.

A win cements the Tigers in the tournament in my mind and a loss leaves their fate to the geeks, but this is a whole different animal.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change