The Cincinnati Bearcats take on the Clemson Tigers in Greenville, SC. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Clemson is favored by -6 points on the spread with a moneyline of -230. The total is set at 137.5 points.
Here’s my Cincinnati vs. Clemson prediction and college basketball picks for December 21, 2025.
Cincinnati vs Clemson Prediction
My Pick: Cincinnati +6
My Cincinnati vs Clemson best bet is on the Bearcats to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Cincinnati vs. Clemson Odds
| Cincinnati Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6 -110 | 137.5 -115o / -105u | +190 |
| Clemson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6 -110 | 137.5 -115o / -105u | -230 |
- Cincinnati vs Clemson spread: Clemson -6
- Cincinnati vs Clemson over/under: 137.5 points
- Cincinnati vs Clemson moneyline: Cincinnati +190, Clemson -230
Cincinnati vs Clemson College Basketball Betting Preview
Cincinnati Basketball
Wes Miller entered year five at Cincinnati on the hot seat. With the Bearcats sitting at 7-4, things have not gone well this season. A 64-56 home loss to Eastern Michigan has been the low point, but a loss to Xavier under first-year head coach Richard Pitino was not much better.
The Bearcats rank 79th on KenPom, despite owning the 10th-best defensive efficiency in the country. Yes, the offense really has been that bad. Cincinnati checks in at 228th in offensive efficiency, joining Boston College as the only power-conference teams ranked outside the top 200.
There may be a potential revelation, however, with junior guard Jizzle James rejoining the roster. James scored 16 points off the bench in his season debut on Wednesday, giving the Bearcats a much-needed lift as a guard who can shoot from beyond the arc.
Cincinnati is shooting 30.5% from 3 and just 63.1% from the free-throw line. The Bearcats also rank outside the top 200 in both turnover rate and offensive rebounding.
Miller has his team playing much faster this season in an effort to generate easier looks in transition, ranking 23rd nationally in average possession length.
Shon Abaev and Kerr Kriisa give the Bearcats confident shot-makers from distance, but both are shooting under 30% from 3. Day Day Thomas is the only player shooting it well, connecting on 46% of his 3-point attempts.
I don't want to gloss over how elite this defense has been. Cincinnati ranks 33rd in turnover rate, 13th in effective field goal percentage defense and 14th in block percentage. The Bearcats feature two rangy rim protectors in Moustapha Thiam and Baba Miller.
Clemson Basketball
Clemson got off to a strong start this season, winning seven of its first eight games and picking up solid non-conference wins over West Virginia and Georgia. The Tigers played Alabama tough but lost by six on the road.
Then, at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic against BYU, Clemson blew a 20-point lead and lost on Robert Wright III's buzzer-beater. The Tigers have since won two straight at home against Mercer and South Carolina, but did not play particularly well in either and failed to cover both times.
Clemson took another hit this week with the loss of freshman guard Zac Foster for the season. Foster was beginning to look more comfortable and added some much-needed pop to a backcourt that has lacked consistency.
Middle Tennessee transfer Jestin Porter has caught fire from deep in a handful of games so far. Dillon Hunter has played efficient basketball and serves as a steady table-setter, while Butta Johnson has been a solid connector. Freshman Ace Buckner scored a season-high 19 points in the last outing.
Ultimately, though, Clemson needs to lean on its frontcourt.
Fortunately for Brad Brownell, the Tigers have a deep and talented group in Carter Welling, Nick Davidson, RJ Godfrey and Jake Wahlin.
Minutes and production are well balanced across the group. Godfrey leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 11.4 points and 6.2 boards per game. Clemson prefers to play high-low and operate through the post.
The Tigers take elite care of the ball, ranking eighth nationally in turnover rate, and their 40.4 rebounds per game rank 32nd in the country.
Cincinnati vs. Clemson Betting Analysis
This is a semi-home spot for Clemson, with the game being played in Greenville, South Carolina.
I do think Clemson is clearly the more organized, balanced and overall better team, which explains the line. That said, I do see some value on Cincinnati.
With their physical perimeter defenders, the Bearcats can make life difficult for Clemson’s guards in ball-screen actions and disrupt the offense in a similar way to how BYU did in the second half about 10 days ago.
Combined with strong rim protection and length to defend the post and clean the glass, Cincinnati has the tools to neutralize Clemson’s biggest strength.
I do not expect James to completely transform this offense, but he does add a jolt of talent and scoring pop to a team that desperately needs it.
In what should be a gritty, grimy half-court game, I will take the points with the Bearcats.
My Pick: Cincinnati +6
