Clemson vs. McNeese Prediction, Odds & Preview Today: NCAA Tournament First Round Best Bets
The No. 5 seed Clemson Tigers (27-6) begin their NCAA Tournament play today at 3:15 p.m. ET (truTV) against No. 12 seed McNeese (27-6). We’re analyzing all angles on this March Madness first-round matchup with our Clemson vs. McNeese predictions, odds, and preview.
The Tigers are 7.5-point betting favorites to win this opening-round matchup at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. As part of our best March Madness predictions, we like Tigers guard Chase Hunter to put together a strong game from beyond the three-point arc.
🏀 Clemson vs. McNeese prediction & picks today
Here are my best Clemson vs. McNeese predictions for the first round of the NCAA Tournament; use our parlay calculator to get the best odds for any same-game parlay:
✅ Against the spread pick: Clemson -7.5 (-110 via BetMGM) vs. McNeese ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔥 Best player prop bet: Chase Hunter Over 2.5 made 3-pointers (+100 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎯 Exact score prediction: Clemson 72, McNeese 61 (+23000 via FanDuel)
👉 Want more picks? Check out our latest college basketball picks and the rest of our March Madness first-round predictions.
🤖 See our March Madness AI bracket predictions for every game through Monday, April 7
🔢 Clemson vs. McNeese updated betting action
- 54% of bets are on McNeese to cover (+7.5)
- 60% of wagers are on the Over (135.5)
- The spread has remained largely steady after Clemson opened as the -7.5 favorite (BetMGM)
🏆 Best Clemson vs. McNeese pick, player prop bet & score prediction
Our NEW college basketball player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds for any March Madness market across legal sportsbooks in your area!
✅ Clemson to cover the spread: -7.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
With Will Wade at the helm, McNeese should be a trendy upset pick as the underdog in the Midwest region's 5 vs. 12 matchup.
But after Wade’s Cowboys lost by 21 points as a 12-seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, I see the matchup with Clemson resulting in another letdown with the head coach’s focus potentially shifting to his next landing spot.
McNeese is a physical group, which leads to a potential advantage on the glass, but Clemson’s efficiency on both ends should be enough to overcome it. At 37.2% from three-point range, Clemson is one of the most dangerous outside shooting teams in the field of 68.
McNeese is good but not great in opposing three-point percentage (80th in Division 1) and allows a disproportionately high rate of opposing three-point attempts. Clemson has shorter March Madness odds for various reasons. If they connect from deep at their standard rate, the limited number of possessions in a game featuring two teams that play at slow tempos could be a problem for McNeese.
📊 Best odds: -110 via BetMGM ($10 to win $9.09)
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🔥 Chase Hunter Over 2.5 made 3-pointers ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Clemson guard Chase Hunter connected on three or more three-pointers 14 times out of 33 games this season (42.4%) while only averaging 5.5 three-point attempts per game.
Three-point attempts comprise 46.6% of the field goal attempts against McNeese, one of the highest rates in the country. Given his three-point efficiency, this should be a matchup where Hunter lets fly.
Should he get near his 41.2% average, he'll need to shoot about seven threes to cash this prop. I like the chance that it will happen, and BetMGM offers the most competitive price of our best sports betting apps.
📊 Best odds: +100 via BetMGM ($10 to win $10)
🎯 Score prediction: Clemson 72, McNeese 61
McNeese dominated the Southland and nearly caught Alabama and Mississippi State napping in close losses earlier in the year, but the Cowboys rank 235th nationally in free throw percentage—another reason I expect this game to slip out of reach for the underdogs.
Both teams rank outside the top 280 in adjusted tempo. I don’t believe the limited number of possessions will benefit the Cowboys due to Clemson’s impeccable efficiency on both sides of the court.
In both of its Quad 1 games this year, McNeese fell short of eclipsing 65 points. The matchup with Clemson should facilitate a similar outcome.
📊 Best odds: +23000 via FanDuel ($10 to win $2,300)
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🤖 Clemson vs. McNeese AI prediction
For entertainment purposes, we asked ChatGPT to analyze historical trends and live NCAA Tournament stats before predicting the winner and exact score for Clemson vs. McNeese. Our AI prediction projects a final score of Clemson 74, McNeese 67.
🖥️ AI score prediction: Clemson 74, McNeese 67
- Clemson’s Balanced Offense is tough to contain – The Tigers’ inside-out attack, led by Chase Hunter and a strong frontcourt, allows them to control the tempo and exploit mismatches.
- McNeese is a live underdog – The Cowboys rank among the best mid-majors in scoring efficiency and have the athleticism to challenge Clemson. No. 12 seeds have historically won about 35% of matchups against No. 5 seeds.
- Defensive edge goes to Clemson – The Tigers allow just 66.8 PPG, ranking among the ACC’s best defenses. If they can limit McNeese’s perimeter shooting, they should pull away late.
🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI prediction would mean McNeese covering the spread (+7.5) and a total of Over 134.5 points. ChatGPT is not a dedicated sports betting model, but it can identify data that March Madness bettors might overlook.
📊 Live Clemson vs. McNeese odds
Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the first round.
Latest Clemson vs. McNeese odds
Our updated Clemson vs. McNeese odds are via BetMGM.
Spread
The spread has stayed largely unchanged as of Thursday afternoon around 1 p.m. ET. However, the cost to back the favorites has shifted slightly while moving from -110 to -105.
Total
The total opened at 134.5 before falling to 133.5. It's since moved up to 135.5 in the hours before tipoff.
Moneyline
Clemson opened as the heavy -325 moneyline favorite. That shortened further to -375 earlier Thursday morning, but it's now steadied at about -350.
🔢 Clemson vs. McNeese opening odds
- Spread: Clemson -7.5 (-110) | McNeese +7.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Clemson -325 | McNeese +260
- Over/Under: Over 134.5 (-105) | Under 134.5 (-115)
📅 Check out the full March Madness first-round schedule and opening odds.
🔮 Midwest Region expert picks
- Midwest Region betting preview
- Houston vs. SIU Edwardsville prediction
- Gonzaga vs. Georgia prediction
- McNeese vs. Clemson prediction
- Purdue vs. High Point prediction
- Illinois vs. Xavier prediction
- Kentucky vs. Troy prediction
- UCLA vs. Utah State prediction
- Tennessee vs. Wofford prediction
📺 How to watch Clemson vs. McNeese: NCAA Tournament first round
📅 Date: Thursday, March 20
🕗 Time: 3:15 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Amica Mutual Pavillion (Providence, R.I.)
📺 TV: TruTV
💻 Streaming: March Madness Live
💰 March Madness betting odds pages
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