Clemson Tigers vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 3/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Clemson Tigers vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC

TV: ESPN+

The North Carolina Tar Heels (22-6) will try to defeat the Clemson Tigers (20-8) at Dean E. Smith Center on Tuesday.

The Clemson Tigers played Louisville and took home the win by a score of 80-75 in their last game. In the matter of fouls, the Tigers ended up with 15 and Louisville recorded 23 fouls. They also converted 10 out of their 36 tries from 3-point land. Louisville finished shooting 58.3% from the charity stripe by making 7 of 12 attempts. On top of that, Louisville grabbed 33 rebounds (9 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Louisville earned 12 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. Regarding defense, Clemson let their opponent shoot 45.3% from the floor on 29 of 64 shooting. They also distributed 12 dimes for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 9 steals. Pertaining to pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 30 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Tigers made 24 of 34 attempts for a percentage of 70.6%. Clemson wrapped up the contest having earned a 49.0% FG percentage (24 out of 49) and buried 8 of their 21 shots from distance.

Jestin Porter is a player who was a major factor in this matchup. He recorded 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 27 mins and collected 3 rebounds. He ended up shooting 60.0% from the field and earned 3 dimes.

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Clemson will enter this matchup with a mark of 20-8 for the season. They turn it over 9.8 times per game and as a unit they are committing 16.3 personal fouls every game. As a team, Clemson is snagging 34.8 boards per game and is sitting with 363 dimes on the year, which ranks 276th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Tigers are shooting 33.9% on 3-pointers (229 of 676) and 72.6% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 74.5 points per game (221st in D-1) while hitting 45.8% from the floor.

On defense, the Tigers have forced 11.6 turnovers every game and they draw 18.1 fouls. They concede 31.5% from 3-point land while they are 18th in the nation in PPG allowed (65.6). The Tigers defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 41.2% (625 of 1,516) and they surrender 31.6 boards per contest as a team. They rank 4th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 288 conceded this season.

When they last played, the North Carolina Tar Heels went home victorious with a score of 89-82 when they faced Virginia Tech. In reference to rebounding, North Carolina permitted Virginia Tech to grab 19 overall (4 offensive). They shot 39.1% from three-point range by hitting 9 out of 23 and finished the game at 11 out of 11 at the free throw line (100.0%). The Tar Heels allowed Virginia Tech to make 31 of their 62 tries from the field which had them shooting 50.0% in this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Tar Heels finished 29 out of 52 from the floor which had them shooting 55.8%. In relation to three-point attempts, North Carolina buried 8 of 20 tries (40.0%). They were able to knock down 23 of those for a rate of 76.7%. Virginia Tech committed 24 fouls in this matchup which took the Tar Heels to the free throw line for a total of 30 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while recording 5 steals for the contest. The Tar Heels corralled 21 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 for this game.

Henri Veesaar ended up being important for the Tar Heels for the contest. He had 26 points in his 33 minutes on the court and totaled 2 dimes for the contest. He buried 11 of 20 in this contest for a rate of 55.0%, and totaled 7 rebounds.

North Carolina has a mark of 22-6 this season. The Tar Heels commit 14.5 fouls per game while shooting 68.0% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 16.2 times per game (57th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.4 times per contest. North Carolina has totaled 2,257 pts for the year (80.6 per game) and they pull in 38.5 boards per game. As an offensive team, the Tar Heels are hitting on 47.4% from the floor, which ranks them 57th in the nation.

The North Carolina defense surrenders 34.0% on 3-pointers (222 of 652) and opponents are making 69.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 12.6 assists and 34.5 total boards per game, which ranks 119th and 199th in the country. The Tar Heels on defense are ranked 94th in college in PPG given up with 70.8. They are forcing their opponents into 9.5 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 41.2% from the floor (43rd in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take North Carolina

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