The Clemson Tigers and the No. 20 Pittsburgh Panthers square off this Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center in an ACC clash between two of the top three teams in the conference. Tip off is set for 8 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on ESPN3.

Clemson comes into this showdown fresh off a 61-53 victory over Wake Forest this past Saturday as a 7.5-point home favorite. It was the Tigers fifth straight up victory in their last six games, and they are off to a 4-1 SU start in ACC play. They are 4-1 against the spread in those five games, and the total has stayed “under” four times.

Pittsburgh gave No. 2 Syracuse a run for its money in this past Saturday’s 59-54 loss as a 4.5-point road underdog. This snapped a six-game SU winning streak, and it was the Panthers first loss in the conference against four previous wins. They are 3-1-1 ATS in those five games.

Clemson at Pitt Betting Storylines

The Tigers are not the type of team that is going to overpower an opponent with their offensive prowess considering they are ranked outside the Top 300 in Division I in scoring with 66 points a game while shooting just 43.3 percent from the field. What they can do is simply wear a team down with a suffocating defense that is allowing an average of just 53.5 points on the other end of the court. Clemson is pulling down an average of 38.9 rebounds a game and holding teams to shooting just 36.2 percent from the floor.

When it does come to scoring points, the Tigers look to K.J. McDaniels to provide a good deal of the production. He is averaging 16.7 points and shooting an efficient 48 percent from the field. He also leads the team in rebounds with 7.2 a game. Rod Hall is the only other player scoring in double figures for Clemson with 10 points a game, and he is dishing out a team-high 3.7 assists. Landry Nnoko has also done a good job under the boards with 6.6 rebounds. Overall, the team is shooting 32.5 percent from outside the perimeter but a respectable 75.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Pittsburgh may not be as stingy on defense, but it is holding teams to 60.1 points, which should put some downward pressure on the total line for this game no matter what number it eventually opens at. The Panthers have been quite a bit more prolific on offense than their opponent for Tuesday night with an average of 76 points a game while shooting a solid 48.3 percent from the field. They match up well under the boards with 37.7 rebounds, and they are ranked 14th in the nation in assists with 16.8 a game.

Lamar Patterson leads a trio of players scoring in double-figures with an average of 17.6 points a game. He is hitting 51.2 percent of his shots from the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. He also leads in assists with 4.5 a game. Talib Zanna is the Panthers’ leading rebounder with 8.2, and he is second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points a game. Cameron Wright rounds things out with 10.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists a game. Pitts’ depth did take a hit when Durand Johnson was lost for the season with a torn ACL. He was fourth on the team in scoring with 8.8 points a game.

Clemson at Pitt NCAA Betting Odds and Game Trends

BetOnline has opened Pitt as a 10.5-point home favorite over the Tigers for this Tuesday’s contest.

The Tigers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a SU win, and the total has stayed under in their last four outings after posting a win SU.

The Panthers are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall and 1-5 ATS in their last six games played at home. The total has gone “over” in their last six home games.

This will be the first meeting between these two in recent memory.

Free College Basketball Picks: Clemson at Pitt Betting Predictions

Clemson comes into this matchup in excellent form, but it is still going to have its hands full against a much more talented Panthers’ team. The Tigers will have to rely heavily on their defense to keep things close, but in the end it will not be enough to keep pace with Pittsburgh down the stretch to cover the current 10.5-point spread.

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Read more articles by Dave Schwab