Rutgers vs. Clemson Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
Rutgers will now be aiming for the first tournament win since 1982 when they go up as a 10-seed against the 7-seed Clemson Tigers. Neither club made it past their tournament’s quarterfinal, with the Tigers (16-7) losing in the Second Round of the ACC tournament and the Scarlet Knights (15-11) in the Big 10 Quarterfinals.
Rutgers vs. Clemson NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
With defence each team’s strong suit, the total is sitting at 125.5 — the lowest of any First Round game Friday. Neither averaged above 70 points a night in 2020–21 or ranked in the top 100 in any of field goal percentage or three-point percentage. The one major contrast between these two clubs is at the line, where Clemson ranked 30th in the country and Rutgers 336th.
Rutgers has lost 16 of their last 20 against the ACC, while Clemson’s covered in just five of their last 15 against the Big Ten. Despite being ranked higher, the Tigers are 1.5-point underdog according to oddsmakers.
(10) Rutgers Scarlet Knights
December 20, 2020 was officially when it felt like Rutgers was going to make the tournament. For those who don’t remember, that Sunday afternoon the Scarlet Knights defeated Illinois 91-88 to improve to 6-0. Junior shooting guard Ron Harper Jr. dropped 28 points and nine rebounds in the win, which was nearly double his team-leading 15.4 points a game.
Down low it’s centre Myles Johnson doing the dirty work for Rutgers, putting in 8.3 points a game while grabbing 8.7 rebounds and swatting away 2.5 shots a night. The 6’11 junior is everything this Scarlet Knights team represents — toughness and determination. Both qualities have earned these Rutgers’ players their first ever March Madness experience.
(7) Clemson Tigers
Averaging 65 points a game, that number will likely get the job done for the Tigers Friday. Brad Brownell’s team held Alabama to 56 points, Maryland to 51, and Louisville and North Carolina to 50 points in wins this season. Problem is, even reaching 65 can be tough for Clemson with their 67-64 ACC loss to Miami being case in point.
Senior Aamir Simms is their heart and soul, leading the Tigers in points (13.3), rebounds (6.2), assists (2.7), and blocks (0.7) per game this season. Simms had 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a pair of blocks in their ACC tournament loss.
