McNeese Cowboys vs Clemson Tigers Prediction, 3/20/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: McNeese Cowboys vs Clemson Tigers

Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025

Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, RI

TV: truTV

Odds/Point Spread: Clemson (-7)

The McNeese Cowboys (27-6) are hitting the road to Amica Mutual Pavilion on Thursday where they will meet the Clemson Tigers (27-6) in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. Clemson is 7-point favorites from oddsmakers. The total is set at 133.

The McNeese Cowboys faced Lamar and earned the victory with a final of 63-54 in their last contest. Regarding personal fouls, the Cowboys finished with 20 while Lamar finished the game with 21 personal fouls. They knocked down 5 out of their 23 attempts from distance. Lamar finished the game at 52.9% from the charity stripe by knocking down 9 of 17 shots. Furthermore, Lamar pulled down 45 rebounds (17 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't have a block. Lamar recorded 6 assists and had 2 steals for the contest. In relation to the defense, McNeese allowed 30.8% from the field on 20 of 65 shooting. They also distributed 9 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 8 steals. In the matter of getting rebounds, they compiled a total of 30 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Cowboys buried 20 of their 27 attempts for a rate of 74.1%. McNeese ended the contest with a 41.7% field goal percentage (20 of 48) and made 3 out of their 17 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Quadir Copeland is one guy who came through in the matchup. He finished the game shooting 66.7% from the floor and distributed 4 dimes. He played for 36 minutes and also snagged 1 rebound. He ended up finishing with 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting.

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McNeese heads into this one with a record of 27-6 this year. They are averaging 77.2 points per outing (90th in the nation) on 47.9% from the floor. The Cowboys are shooting 35.9% on 3-pointers (252 of 702) and 71.0% from the free throw line. As a team, McNeese is collecting 36.2 rebounds per contest and has 465 assists this season, which is 128th in the country in terms of passing. They turn it over 10.8 times per contest and as a group they commit 16.1 fouls every game.

On defense, the Cowboys are forcing 14.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 15.9 personal fouls. They surrender 32.0% from 3-point land and they are 15th in college hoops in opponents points per game (64.0). The Cowboys are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 40.2% (728 of 1,810) and they concede 32.5 boards per contest as a squad. They are currently ranked 109th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 401 relinquished for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Clemson Tigers went home defeated by a final of 76-73 when they played Louisville. The Tigers recorded 21 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 for this contest. They coughed it up 9 times, while getting 10 steals in this matchup. Louisville was called for 19 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Tigers to the free throw line for 17 attempts. They were able to make 14 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 82.4%. In reference to three-point shots, Clemson converted 5 of 16 tries (31.3%). Overall, the Tigers finished shooting 27 out of 69 from the floor which had them shooting 39.1%. The Tigers allowed Louisville to bury 24 of their 55 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 43.6% for the contest. They went 27.3% from 3-point land by shooting 6 of 22 and finished the game at 22 out of 27 from the free throw line (81.5%). Concerning rebounds, Clemson permitted Louisville to snag 34 overall (9 on the offensive side).

Chase Hunter ended up being a major contributor for the Tigers for the matchup. He converted 8 of 20 in this game giving him a rate of 40.0%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He earned 23 points in his 37 minutes of playing time and totaled 2 assists in this matchup.

Clemson has a win-loss record of 27-6 so far this year. As an offensive team, the Tigers are hitting on 46.5% from the floor, which is ranked 82nd in the nation. Clemson has tallied 2,519 pts on the campaign (76.3 per game) and they collect 35.3 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 14.4 times per contest (121st in the nation) and they turn it over 10.5 times per game. The Tigers commit 15.2 fouls every game and they hit 76.6% from the free throw line.

The Clemson defense concedes 32.2% on shots from beyond the arc (228 of 709) and their opponents are converting on 69.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 10.5 dimes and 32.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 23rd and 59th in college hoops. The Tigers on the defensive side of the court are 26th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 65.7. They are forcing their opponents into 13.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.7% from the floor (113th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Clemson (-7)

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