NCAA Tournament: Clemson vs Rutgers 3/19/21 College Basketball Picks, Odds, Predictions

The Clemson Tigers battle the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Friday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament First Round at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights enter the tournament splitting their last eight games. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are averaging 70.4 points on 45.2 percent shooting and allowing 68.1 points on 41.7 percent shooting. Ron Harper Jr. is averaging 17 points and 6.5 rebounds while Jacob Young is averaging 13 points and 1.9 rebounds. Geo Baker is dishing four assists and Myles Johnson is grabbing nine rebounds. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are shooting 31.6 percent from beyond the arc and 62.4 percent from the free throw line. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are allowing 32.9 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.5 rebounds per game.

The Clemson Tigers enter the tournament winning six of their last seven games. The Clemson Tigers are averaging 65.4 points on 42.6 percent shooting and allowing 61.8 points on 41.3 percent shooting. Aamir Simms is averaging 17 points and four assists while Hunter Tyson is averaging 16 points and seven rebounds. Clyde Trapp is the third double-digit scorer and Al-Amir Dawes is grabbing three rebounds. The Clemson Tigers are shooting 33.8 percent from beyond the arc and 76 percent from the free throw line. The Clemson Tigers are allowing 33.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 30.4 rebounds per game.

The Scarlet Knights are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 Friday games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. The Tigers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog. The under is 7-3 in Scarlet Knights last 10 games as a favorite. The under is 4-1 in Tigers last 5 games following a ATS loss.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are in the tournament for the first time since 1991, so there’s motivation here and they get after it defensively. Rutgers is going to be a tough out. However, the Clemson Tigers have wins over Florida State, Alabama, Purdue, North Carolina, Maryland and Syracuse. That has to count for something. Clemson will also have the best player on the floor in Simms. In a toss up contest, I’ll take my chances with the more proven and battle tested team, and that’s Clemson in this spot.