The No. 3 seed Clemson Tigers and No. 2 seed Louisville Cardinals have identical 19-2 records in the ACC and will put them on the line in the ACC Tournament semifinals when they meet on Friday night.
Each team escaped with close victories in their quarterfinal matchups to keep their ACC Tournament championship hopes alive. The unfortunate ankle injury to Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg suddenly seems much more real than it did 24 hours ago for ACC hopefuls.
Find out who we have to win this game as we’ll make a prediction and break down the spread, total, and money line bets.
Clemson vs. Louisville Betting Preview
All Clemson vs. Louisville odds are from Fanduel Sportsbook and are correct as of Friday, March 14, 2025.
- Spread
Clemson -1.5 - Moneyline
Clemson -114, Louisville -105 - Over/Under
141.5 Points - Game Time
Friday, March 14, 9:30 p.m. ET - Location
Spectrum Center | Charlotte, NC - How To Watch
ESPN
Clemson enters this game with an excellent 20-12 record ATS, including 15-5 in ACC play. They’ve covered seven of their last 10 games, but they failed to cover in their quarterfinals matchup against the No. 6 seed SMU Mustangs, coming away with a three-point win.
Louisville also sports an impressive 19-13 overall record ATS, having covered 66% of their conference matchups. They’ve covered three of their last four games, similar to Clemson, who didn’t cover the spread in their quarterfinals meeting with the Stanford Cardinal, escaping with a two-point win at the final buzzer.
The Tigers are even 16-16 and 10-10 in terms of over/under this season. However, their last game only totaled 111 points, far below the listed point total.
Head coach Pat Kelsey had built the Cardinals into a tremendous defensive unit, causing 21 of their 32 games to go under the point total. However, they had a hard time defending Stanford and gave up 73 points, allowing the over to hit.
Clemson vs. Louisville Preview
Clemson comes in with a 27-5 overall and 19-2 ACC record, good for third due to a tie-breaking loss to these very Cardinals. They’ve won each of their last nine games, beginning with a victory over the top-ranked Blue Devils. The Tigers have shown themselves to be one of the best teams in the country this season.
Not far behind is Louisville with an identical 19-2 conference record and 26-6 overall record. They extended their winning streak to ten games after defeating Stanford—on a game-winning bucket at that.
Leading scorer Chucky Hepburn hit the shot, an uncontested mid-range jumper after the ball ricocheted right into his hands. On the season, he’s averaging 16.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 5.9 apg. He makes the Cardinals go on that end of the floor.
Senior guard Terrence Edwards Jr. is also a huge offensive piece. He makes an excellent scoring tandem in the backcourt with Hepburn, averaging 15.8 ppg and contributing 2.6 apg. He scored a game-high 25 points against Stanford and did everything he could to ensure the Cardinals wouldn’t be upset.
The Tigers are also led by a guard in sixth-year senior Chase Hunter. The 6’4″ point guard scored 21 points and was essential in the Tigers’ win over SMU, as they went to him repeatedly down the stretch of the game.
Down low, forward Ian Schieffelin and center Viktor Lakhin form a solid duo, combing to score 24.5 ppg and grab 15.7 rpg. The Cardinals don’t have a particularly talented front line—it’d be smart for Clemson to try to punch Louisville down low early in the game.
When these teams met on Jan. 7, the Cardinals won 74-64 on their home floor. A lot has changed since then, as both are now viewed as prominent contenders for the ACC Championship.
The winner of this game will face either the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils—likely without or with a very limited version of Flagg—or the fifth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels.
Duke is no longer the big, bad Blue Devils it was prior to Flagg’s injury, which puts even more emphasis and importance on this game for both teams. Whoever wins will surely like their chances of claiming the ACC Tournament championship on Saturday night.
Best Bets and Final Score Prediction
The over/under being set at 141.5 points and the spread being only 1.5 points suggests that this game will go much more like the Stanford vs. Louisville game did than the Clemson vs. SMU matchup.
Clemson and SMU looked to be stuck in the mud all game long, aside from Hunter, who hit big shot after big shot.
Meanwhile, Louisville and Stanford showcased their offense, totaling 148 points.
Both teams are incredibly talented and well-coached. Clemson has a middling track record of under, while Louisville has gone under in 21 of its 32 games—a very high number and something to certainly keep in mind.
The intensity of this game will be evident from the start. It will be mucky and slow at times, ultimately falling under the 140.5-point mark. I absolutely take the under.
The spread is currently set at Clemson -1.5, which could easily flip to Louisville prior to tip-off. For that reason, I’ll instead pick a money-line winner.
WANT SOME FRIDAY NIGHT ACTION? DUKE-UNC BETTING PREVIEW
The Cardinals won the meeting in the regular season at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, but these were two very different teams then compared to now.
Struggling against an inferior Stanford team doesn’t bode well for Louisville’s chances in this game. SMU had at least been considered a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament, and even then, the Tigers pulled it out prior to the final buzzer and had no threat of an overtime period.
Although Hepburn hit the game-winner, I just trust Hunter more down the stretch of the game. What he showed by scoring 21 points against the Mustangs is equivalent to a 35-point effort in a game with actual scoring instead of 111 total points.
I’ve got Clemson taking this one and advancing to the ACC Championship game with a good chance at winning the whole thing—in effect, forcing themselves into the conversation for a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Picks: Under 141.5 Points, Clemson ML (-114)
Prediction: Clemson 68, Louisville 64
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