In the consolation game in the Emerald Coast Classic Clemson faces a California team that is looking for their first win.
Clemson had won three in a row before a close loss to a ranked Iowa team in the semis of the Emerald Coast Classic. They had given up an average of 59 ppg in their three-game win streak before giving up 74 points in the loss to Iowa.
To say Cal has had a tough start to the season would be an understatement. They have lost all six of their games and they lost by double figures in the semis of the Emerald Coast Classic. They are one of the lowest scoring teams in the nation and in their last game only scored 48 points. The Golden Bears come into this game as a 10.5-point underdog with a total of 124.5.
Good D Can’t Overcome Poor Shooting
In their last game facing Iowa, Clemson played solid defense against the 25th ranked team in the nation but poor shooting did them in. while they held the Hawkeyes to 38.3% shooting and 21.1% 3-pt shooting they only shot 40.6% from the floor and they only had 11 points from the free throw line while Iowa had 24. Chase Hunter led the Tigers going for 21 points on 7/15 shooting and Hunter Tyson went for 16 points on 4/11 shooting and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Clemson did cover the spread as an 8.5-point underdog and they have covered in their last two games while failing to cover in their first four games.
Hunter (17 ppg) leads five Tigers that are averaging in double figures and he is shooting a solid 52.3% from the floor on the season. Tyson (12.5 ppg 9.3 rpg) is the second leading scorer and leading rebounder and unlike Hunter he has not shot well with a FG% of 39.6%. Brevin Galloway (10.8 ppg) has only scored six points in each of the last two games.
The Nightmare Continues
The nightmare continues for a winless Cal team that lost their last game to TCU 59-48. They had a better shooting game than the Horned Frogs (41% to 39.3%) and shot better from 3-pt land (30.8% to 17.6%) but they gave up 14 offensive boards and only grabbed five and they committed 19 turnovers while only forcing seven. Devin Askew and Lars Thiemann each had 12 points to lead Cal in the loss and the bench only contributed 11 points. The Golden Bears did cover the spread in the game as a 14-point underdog and it was the first time they covered this season.
The TCU game was a microcosm of Cal’s season, as they have played good D but have struggled to score the pill. They are only giving up an average of 67 ppg but they are only averaging 60.4 ppg. Askew leads the team averaging 16.5 ppg but has failed to shoot over 40% from the floor on the season and only shot 33.3% in the last game. Thiemann (12.2 ppg 7 rpg) is the only other player averaging in double figures and he had scored 15 points in two straight games before going for 12 points in the last game. The Golden Bears are desperate for a win, as their next two games are their first in Pac 12 play and one of those games is facing 14th ranked Arizona on the road.
Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Clemson played good defense in their semifinals game of the Emerald Coast Classic but they did not shoot well and gave up too many free throws. The latter will not happen in this game facing a Cal team that plays at a slow pace and is not a rim attacking squad. The Golden Bears have not scored over 55 points in their last two games and they will not score big at all in this game facing a solid Tigers’ defense. Both of these teams covered in their last games even in losses and this time around Clemson will be the team that covers and gets the win keeping Cal winless.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
No surprise I am leaning towards the Under in this game with Cal being such a low scoring team. The total for the Golden Bears last game was posted at 127.5 and only 107 points were scored. Clemson held Iowa to under 40% shooting in the last game and played solid perimeter D but they gave up 24 points from the free throw line. They will play solid defense again against a Cal team that is one of the lower scoring ones in the nation. They will also not give up a lot of free throws in a slow-paced game and the Golden Bears only scored 12 points off free throws in their last game. Both teams will play good defense and that is the main reason the total for this game will go Under.