College Basketball Picks – UNC Tar Heels vs. Clemson Tigers

Wednesday, January 13th – 9:05 PM ET

College Basketball Betting Spread:  Clemson -3 ½

The Week That Was: North Carolina 

The Tar Heels bounced back from an embarrassing loss on Jan. 4 at the College of Charleston by defeating Virginia Tech, 78-64, on Jan. 10 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Coach Roy Williams’  ball club trailed by four at the half, but then outscored the Hokies 44-26 in the second half en route to a relatively comfortable victory. The difference for Carolina was defense. 

Wing player Marcus Ginyard – who typically starts, but came off the bench in this game because he was returning from an ankle injury – limited Virginia Tech star Malcolm Delaney to just 1-of-5 shooting in the second half. While it’s true that Delaney led all scorers with 26 points, the Hokies’ most outstanding offensive player did nothing at crunch time, a testament to Gilyard’s defensive excellence. 

The other main ingredient in the UNC triumph was offensive efficiency. While Virginia Tech hit only 36 percent of its shots (24 of 67), Carolina went 54 percent from the field (28 of 52). Just as instructively, the Tar Heels’ backcourt performed well. Point guard Larry Drew II – who has predictably struggled to replace last year’s team MVP, Ty Lawson – handed out eight assists while committing just two turnovers against Virginia Tech. 
 
The Week That Was: Clemson 

The Tigers – like North Carolina – played only one game the past week. As was the case with the Tar Heels, Clemson posted a double-digit win against an ACC foe. 

On Jan. 9, coach Oliver Purnell’s squad stopped Boston College, 72-56, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. The Tigers won with defense against a group of Eagles who couldn’t shoot straight.  

BC star Rakim Sanders was held to just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting, with five of his misses coming from 3-point range. All told, the Eagles hit just 37 percent of their shots and went just 2 of 16 behind the arc. Boston College didn’t reach 30 points in either half, which was a testament to solid defensive rotations and superb teamwork by the Tigers.

While guards Demontez Stitt and Tanner Smith held their own on the perimeter against Sanders and teammate Reggie Jackson, it was power forward Corey Booker who made a statement with his work near the rim. Booker swatted four BC shots in a game where Clemson registered eight blocked shots compared to just one for Boston College. The Tigers’ vigor and energy at the defensive end of the floor wore down the visiting Eagles. 
 
Outlook & Pick 

The last time North Carolina traveled to the state of South Carolina, the Tar Heels were ambushed by a small school from a small conference. The College of Charleston – from the Southern Conference – rocked the college basketball world by using a late 12-1 surge to tie Carolina and then topple the Tar Heels in overtime, 82-79. If UNC could struggle to that degree against a South Carolina-based team with weak NCAA Tournament credentials, just imagine what Clemson can do. North Carolina has too many issues right now to be given the benefit of the doubt on Clemson’s home court. The Tigers should fly past the boys in Carolina blue. 

College Basketball Pick: Clemson -3.5