Clemson Tigers vs Pittsburgh Panthers Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Clemson Tigers vs Pittsburgh Panthers

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: ESPN+

The Pittsburgh Panthers (7-7) will try to defeat the Clemson Tigers (11-3) at Petersen Events Center on Saturday.

The Clemson Tigers stepped onto the hardwood against Syracuse and notched a win by a score of 64-61 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Tigers ended up with 18 while Syracuse totaled 14 personal fouls. They also knocked down 5 out of their 15 shots from beyond the arc. Syracuse ended up going 83.3% when shooting free throws by burying 20 of their 24 attempts. In addition, Syracuse grabbed 26 rebounds (3 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't have a block. Syracuse distributed 8 dimes and had 3 steals for this game. When discussing defense, Clemson allowed the other team to go 40.0% from the field on 18 of 45 shooting. They also doled out 9 dimes in this contest while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and getting 9 steals. Concerning getting rebounds, they compiled a total of 24 with 4 of them being offensive. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Tigers made 6 of 12 attempts for a rate of 50.0%. Clemson finished the contest having earned a 48.2% FG percentage (27 out of 56) and made 4 out of their 16 shots from beyond the arc.

RJ Godfrey is one player who was a contributor for the matchup. He finished shooting 77.8% from the field and also earned 2 assists. He played 29 mins and pulled down 4 rebounds. He recorded 14 points on 7 out of 9 shooting.

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Clemson will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 11-3 for the campaign. They lose possession via turnover 9.4 times per game and as a team they are committing 16.5 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Clemson is collecting 38.7 boards per game and has earned 201 dimes so far this year, which is 171st in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Tigers are connecting on 33.2% on shots from distance (114 of 343) and 73.0% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 78.6 points per game (160th in D-1) while shooting 45.9% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Tigers are forcing 11.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.8 fouls. They concede 27.6% on 3-point shots and they are 29th in the nation in points per game allowed (65.5). The Tigers defense is giving up a FG percentage of 39.7% (313 of 789) and they relinquish 32.4 rebounds per game as a team. They rank 24th in the nation in allowing assists with 139 conceded on the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Pittsburgh Panthers took a loss by a final score of 76-69 against Miami. In regard to rebounding, Pittsburgh permitted Miami to get 41 in all (14 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 18.2% from three-point range by shooting 4 of 22 and ended up going 20 of 26 at the free throw line (76.9%). The Panthers permitted Miami to convert 26 out of their 58 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 44.8% for the game. When the final whistle blew, the Panthers went 27 out of 60 from the field which gave them a percentage of 45.0%. Concerning shooting from 3-point land, Pittsburgh buried 6 of 25 tries (24.0%). They were able to knock down 9 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 52.9%. Miami was called for 13 personal fouls for this game which took the Panthers to the free throw line for a total of 17 attempts. They turned it over 7 times, while recording 6 steals in the matchup. The Panthers pulled down 18 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 26 for the game.

Cameron Corhen ended up being a major contributor for the Panthers in the game. He made 8 out of 12 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and totaled 8 rebounds. He earned 17 points in his 39 mins of playing time and added 2 assists in this matchup.

Pittsburgh has a mark of 7-7 so far this season. As an offense, the Panthers are shooting 45.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 179th in the nation. Pittsburgh has totaled 1,031 pts on the year (73.6 per game) and they grab 35.6 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 13.3 times per contest (272nd in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 11.2 times per contest. The Panthers are committing 17.1 fouls per game and they connect on 67.6% from the free throw line.

The Pittsburgh defense concedes 32.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (95 of 291) and opponents are knocking down 77.0% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 11.6 assists and 32.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 64th and 75th in those categories. The Panthers are ranked 78th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 68.4. They are forcing their opponents into 10.9 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.8% from the field (152nd in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Pittsburgh

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