Clemson vs Syracuse FREE PICK!

Clemson Tigers @ Syracuse Orangemen (-3.5, 146.5)

January 18, 2022
9:00pm EST on ACCN

Free pick of the day involves taking advantage of the line between two ACC conference rivals facing off in the Carrier Dome Tuesday night. Tip-off between Syracuse and Clemson is at 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT. With both teams coming off close losses at home, they try to right the ship as they are in the thick of conference play. This is a crucial ACC game for both teams as they sit at 2-4 in conference play thus far.

The Syracuse offense has been solid this year. They rank 19th in the nation in adjusted efficiency, are averaging 78PPG, and shoot 37.8% from distance. The defensive end has been the struggle this season, specifically from three-point territory. Historically, Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone has caused fits for opposing teams, but this year opponents have been hot from deep as the Orange rank 259th in opponent 3PT%. Coach Boeheim has publicly criticized his team in this category and we can expect them to have a heavy focus on shutting down three point shooting going forward. Although the Clemson Tigers have shot the ball relatively well this season, Clemson has been particularly bad shooting the three over its past 3 games, averaging only 26.8% from beyond the arc. We look for this trend to continue.

Let’s take a look at some recent betting trends. The Orange are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 games following a loss. They are also 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Tuesday games. More importantly, Clemson is a miserable 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as a road underdog. Clemson fairs pretty well as a road favorite, but not traveling to a hostile environment as an underdog. In the last six matchups between these two schools, the home team has won all six of them and covered in 5 out of 6. Syracuse has played well most of their games. In their 5 most recent losses, each game was decided by 5 points or less. They’ve been playing solid basketball, but not closing out games late in the 2nd half. That will change. All things here point to Syracuse. Even if Clemson hangs with ‘Cuse for this game, expect the Orange to win. Fouling and free throws at the end can easily get us this cover if they don’t blow them out early.

Take Syracuse at -3.5