Clemson vs. Louisville Prediction, Odds & AI Score Picks: ACC Semifinal Best Bets

The ACC tournament just got very interesting.

The Duke Blue Devils lost star Cooper Flagg to an injury in their last game, opening things up for the field substantially. As a result, tonight’s ACC semifinal matchup between No. 3 Clemson and No. 2 Louisville means quite a bit more. Today, we’ll dive into my Clemson vs. Louisville prediction, the best odds, and our expert picks for today’s ACC semifinal matchup.

Despite being seeded as the underdog, Clemson is a tight 1.5-point favorite over Louisville today. The action will get underway at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte at 9:30 p.m. ET, and you can tune in via ESPN.

💰 Clemson vs. Louisville predictions, expert picks & best bets: ACC Semifinal

Here are my best Clemson vs. Louisville predictions, expert picks, and best bets today for the ACC semifinal with my pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale. Be sure to check out the rest of our college basketball picks along with our guide on how to bet on college basketball.

• Against the spread pick: Louisville +1.5 (-110 via DraftKings) vs. Clemson ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• My best player prop bet: J’Vonne Hadley Over 11.5 points (-105 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Exact score prediction: Louisville 72, Clemson 68 (+15000 via DraftKings)

👉 Check out our latest March Madness projections with our SBR Bracketology ahead of the NCAA Tournament!

🏀 Clemson vs. Louisville ATS prediction & best player prop bet pick

Here's why I'm betting on Louisville to cover the spread (+1.5) while targeting J'Vonne Hadley Over 11.5 points as my best player prop bet pick for today:

✅ Louisville to cover the spread (+1.5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clemson is a slow, deliberate team with the sixth-ranked defense in adjusted defensive efficiency rating since February 1. That’s often a recipe for success in the regular season but not in March, especially not against a fast-paced team that can hit 3-pointers at an efficient clip. Clemson’s pace could be its undoing in this spot, as playing slowly increases the significance of shooting variance.

Over the same sample, Louisville ranks 44th in adjusted offensive efficiency rating. The team also ranks ninth in field goal percentage inside the arc (59.2%) and 63rd outside of it (37.5%). Clemson’s 35th-ranked offense is similarly efficient inside (54.3%) but struggles mightily outside (33.9%). 

Free throws made the difference when these teams met earlier in the year, with Louisville going 16-for-20 from the stripe while Clemson went only 4-for-5. The Tigers rank a dreadful 284th in free-throw rate since February 1, which could be a problem versus a Cardinals team that ranks 31st in defensive free-throw rate. The Tigers just don’t have as many paths to a win as do the Cardinals, so back Louisville to cover.

📊 Best odds: -110 via DraftKings (bet $10 to win $9.09)

🔥 J'Vonne Hadley Over 11.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The regular season matchup between Clemson and Louisville saw Hadley erupt for 32 points as the Clemson defense locked in on their opponents’ top scorers, Terrence Edwards Jr. and Chucky Hepburn. Edwards and Hepburn combined for 45 of Louisville’s 75 points last night, so a similar defensive game script is likely in the cards for Clemson.

But stopping Hepburn and Edwards will require leaving Hadley open a bunch, and that didn’t end well for Clemson last time. Hadley isn’t a huge volume guy, but he still averaged 12.1 points per game while shooting 51.3%. While he probably won’t shoot 83% against Clemson again, he won’t need to do that to go over his bargain-bin player prop points total.

📊 Best odds: -105 via FanDuel (bet $10 to win $9.52)

🎯 Expert Clemson vs. Louisville score prediction & AI projections

🔮 Expert score prediction: Louisville 72, Clemson 68
🤖 AI score prediction: Clemson 70, Louisville 68

🔮 Expert score prediction: Louisville 72, Clemson 68

The total for this game is sitting right at 140.5, which feels right given the slow pace that Clemson uses and the defensive efficiency on both sides. The last meeting of these teams produced only 138 total points, 74 of which were posted by Louisville. Both sides shot worse than average from the 3-point line.

I’m giving this one to Louisville by a hair because of its relative advantages in getting to the charity stripe and converting 3-point shots, but I don’t think either side will dominate the pacing, which makes it difficult to make a pick on the total. 

Ultimately, if you need more exposure to this one, buying Louisville to clear its team total of 69.5 (or 70.5 if you want better odds) is a decent bet.

📊 Best odds: Louisville 72, Clemson 68 (+15000 via DraftKings; bet $10 to win $1,500)

🤖 AI score prediction: Clemson 70, Louisville 68

(Score prediction and analysis via ChatGPT - a large language model from OpenAI. While ChatGPT is not specifically designed for predicting sporting events, it can spot trends or insights that bettors might overlook.)

🖥️ AI predictions for Clemson vs. Louisville

Based on recent form and matchup data, the projected final score is Clemson 70, Louisville 68.

• Win probability: Clemson 52% | Louisville 48%
• Projected total points: 138
• Key takeaways:
• Clemson has been strong against the spread - winning seven of its last nine games ATS, indicating it tends to perform well relative to expectations
• Louisville won the previous matchup - but Clemson has been on a nine-game winning streak since, showing significant improvement
• A defensive battle is likely - both teams rank among the ACC’s best in defensive efficiency, making a lower-scoring game probable

🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI score prediction leans toward Clemson covering the spread (-1.5) and a total of Under 140.5 points.

📊 Live Clemson vs. Louisville odds & latest betting splits

Here are the latest odds for Clemson vs. Louisville, which update live in real time. You can also check out our NEW college basketball player prop odds tool for the latest college basketball odds on any market across legal sportsbooks in your region.

🔢 Clemson vs. Louisville opening odds

Here's a look at the opening odds for Clemson vs. Louisville according to BetMGM.

• Spread: Clemson -1.5 (-110) | Louisville +1.5 (-125)
• Moneyline: Clemson -125 | Louisville -110
• Over/Under: Over 141.5 (-120) | Under 141.5 (-120)

🏆 Who will win Clemson vs. Louisville?

As of Friday morning, Clemson is favored by 1.5 points to beat Louisville with moneyline odds of -120 at BetMGM, which suggest a 54.6% win probability for the Tigers. We're predicting a 72-68 win for Louisville as our final score projection.

So far, 66% of bettors have wagered against the spread on Clemson -1.5, while 71% of bettors expect the game to finish Over the projected total of 140.5 points.

📺 How to watch Clemson vs. Louisville today/tonight

📅 Date: Friday, March 14
🕗 Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Spectrum Center (Charlotte)
📺 TV: ESPN
💻 Streaming: ESPN+ (with an ESPN subscription)

❓ Clemson vs. Louisville FAQs

Who's favored to win the ACC Tournament?

Despite the injury to Cooper Flagg, Duke is still favored to win the ACC tournament at odds of -333, per our ACC tournament odds page.

Who is favored to win Clemson vs. Louisville?

Clemson is a slight favorite to beat Louisville at odds of -120, which converts to 54.6%.

What are the betting odds for Clemson vs. Louisville?

Per the latest Clemson vs. Louisville betting odds, the spread was Clemson -1.5: -110 | Louisville +1.5: -110 with a total of 140.5 points (Over: -110 | Under: -110).

What will be the final score of Clemson vs. Louisville?

We're predicting a final score of Louisville 72, Clemson 68 entering tonight's matchup at the Spectrum Center.

What time is Clemson vs. Louisville tonight?

The Clemson vs. Louisville matchup will tip off tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET.

⛹️ Best college basketball betting sites

Looking to bet on college basketball tonight? Here are our best March Madness betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review, along with our best March Madness betting promos ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

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