Clemson Tigers vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/03/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Venue:  Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Clemson +4.5, UNC -4.5; Over/Under:  141.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Clemson +4.5, UNC -4.5; Over/Under:  141.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Clemson +4.5, UNC -4.5; Over/Under:  141.5 points

Clemson Tigers:  21-8 (11-5) (5th place, ACC)

North Carolina Tar Heels:  23-6 (11-5) (4th place, ACC)

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Clemson Tigers:  1-4  last 5

North Carolina Tar Heels:  4-1  last 5

Clemson is entering this game with a 21-8 record overall, an 11-5 record in conference games, and they are 6-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Louisville Cardinals in their last game. Jestin Porter led the team in points in that game with 16 while RJ Godfrey was next on the team with 13. Jestin Porter led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Ace Buckner led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 49% from the field, 38.1% from 3-point range, and 70.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 65.9 PPG against them. Clemson has an ATS record of 15-12-1 this season and their O/U record is 11-17.

North Carolina is entering this game with a 23-6 record overall, an 11-5 conference record, and they are 17-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Virginia Tech Hokies in their last game. Henri Veesaar led the team in points in that game with 26 while Seth Trimble was next on the team with 20. Seth Trimble led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Henri Veesaar led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 55.8% from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 76.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 80.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 71.1 PPG against them. North Carolina has an ATS record of 16-13 this season and their O/U record is 12-17.

The current betting odds have North Carolina listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. North Carolina has looked really good in their games this season with their 23-6 record overall and their 11-5 conference record which has them in the top half of the ACC. They have looked great on their home court too with their 17-0 home record this season. Meanwhile, Clemson has looked good in their games this season with their 21-8 record overall and their 11-5 conference record which has them in the top half of the ACC. They have been a good road team too with their 6-4 road record this year. Clemson has been a good road team this year, but they definitely haven't been their best on the road and lately they have been struggling a lot. They have been rolling in the ACC all year, keeping themselves near the top of the conference, but they have also been beating up on a lot of bad teams in the ACC and have been getting by with an easier schedule. Now the schedule has been getting tougher though and they haven't looked good lately, going 1-4 in their last 5 games. They are off a win over Louisville in their last one, but that win was also at home and Louisville has had their own troubles on the road this year. UNC has a ton of momentum on their side though as they are 4-1 in their last 5 games and they have won 3 games in a row now. They have been missing their best player, but they really haven't looked that bad without him and they are still undefeated at home too. Clemson got a big win at home in their last one, but they have looked terrible lately and will fall flat on their face here against one of the best home teams in the ACC. The best way to place a bet here is on North Carolina to cover the spread in this game. 

Clemson North Carolina Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, March 3, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is UNC 76 Clemson 69.

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Clemson Tigers: 16-4 ATS as an underdog. 23-11 ATS in road games. 26-17 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 25-16 ATS versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game. 8-2 OVER on the road when the line is +3 to -3.

North Carolina Tar Heels: 2-5 ATS off a home win against a conference rival. 4-7 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 4-8 ATS when playing only their 2nd game in 8 days. 5-0 OVER when the total is 140 to 149.5.

Clemson Tigers:  T. Steinour (F-C) Questionable - Undisclosed. Z. Foster (G) Out - Knee.

North Carolina Tar Heels:  C. Wilson (F) Questionable - Wrist. J. Brown (C) Out - Foot. I. Matlekovic (C) Questionable - Hand.

“You don't like losing at home. Feel bad for our fans that they've come out the last couple times and we haven't been able to win.” - Brad Brownell after his team’s win against Louisville in their last game. 

“He was huge for us, just like you mentioned in a number of different areas. Obviously, his ability to shoot the basketball was needed; it was real tonight. Defensively, he’s a big guard, physical, and Virginia Tech’s offense has a lot of moving parts, and what is required is to get over, get through screens and guard, dribble-drive, defend without fouling, and then finish it with a rebound. And when you’ve got big, physical guards like Jonathan, that definitely helps. He played at a high level on both ends of the floor.” - Hubert Davis on Jonathan Powell after his team’s win against VT in their last game. 

R. Godfrey 

D. Hunter 

J. Porter 

J. Wahlin 

C. Welling

L. Bogavac 

K. Evans 

J. Stevenson 

H. Veesaar 

C. Wilson

PPG: RJ Godfrey (11.5)

APG: Dillon Hunter (2.9)

Reb/G: Carter Welling (5.4)

PPG: Caleb Wilson (19.8)

APG: Kyan Evans (2.8)

Reb/G: Caleb Wilson (9.4)

Coaches:

Clemson Tigers: Brad Brownell (16th season)

North Carolina Tar Heels: Hubert Davis (5th season)