Two-red hot teams, the Clemson Tigers and Louisville Cardinals, faceoff in one of the ACC Tournament semifinal matchups. The other side of the bracket might have a bit more brand recognition, with North Carolina taking on Duke, but we’ve set our sights on this one for today’s play.
Last night we tapped the Arizona Wildcats as our play to win and cover vs. Kansas, which they did, booking a nice win. For tonight’s game, the Tigers and Cardinals both punched their ticket to the semis with narrow wins on Thursday, including a true buzzer beater from Louisville. When they last met up, back in January on the Cardinals homecourt, Louisville took care of business, and it wasn’t really all that difficult. They were the better team that night basically from tip-off to final whistle, closing out a 74-64 home win (as a 3.5-point favorite).
As referenced above, both teams have been hot coming into the tournament, and continuing with these games. Despite the winning and excitement around making it to the semis, there is some bad news in the Clemson locker room. That steady hand of Dillon Hunter they could rely on…it’s broken. Hunter broke his hand in Thursday night’s matchup. Noteable? Yes. Overly concerning? Not really. This is a Tigers’ roster that boast impressive veteran depth, with experience playing deep into March (they made the Elite Eight last year).
We like the upperclassmen on this team, both at guard and up front. They should be able to handle Hunter’s loss. Clemson are clearly the better defensive team, and like to slow things down. That should serve them well in this matchup vs. a Louisville squad that will look to push the pace and run.
Look for the Tigers to get key stops, which sets the tone for a win and an invite to the ACC Championship game.
Play: We’re on Clemson -1