The Clemson Tigers take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, NC. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Clemson is favored by 3 points on the spread with a moneyline of -170. The total is set at 138.5 points.
Here’s my Clemson vs. Wake Forest prediction and college basketball picks for February 18, 2026.
Clemson vs Wake Forest Prediction
My Pick: Clemson -3 (Play to -6)
My Clemson vs Wake Forest best bet is on the Tigers 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.
Clemson vs. Wake Forest Odds
| Clemson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 138.5 -110o / -110u | -170 |
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 138.5 -110o / -110u | +145 |
- Clemson vs Wake Forest spread: Clemson -3
- Clemson vs Wake Forest over/under: 138.5 points
- Clemson vs Wake Forest moneyline: Clemson -170, Wake Forest +145
Clemson vs Wake Forest College Basketball Betting Preview
Clemson Basketball
There’s nothing sexy about this Clemson basketball team — except for the fact that it wins.
The Tigers were 20-4 on the season and 10-1 in the league before they encountered a rough patch this past week, losing back-to-back games at home to Virginia Tech and at Duke.
That loss to Virginia Tech was their only sleepy performance on the season, and obviously, it's tough to go win at Cameron Indoor. So I'm not overreacting — this is a rock-solid team in the mix at the top of the ACC.
Everything starts and ends for Brad Brownell’s group on the defensive end of the floor. This is the 15th-best defense in the country, per KenPom. The Tigers play at the slowest pace in the ACC, grinding opponents down in the half-court. This disciplined, veteran group also controls the glass, ranking 11th in defensive rebounding percentage.
Clemson is a very balanced group, with no player averaging over 12 points per game and no player averaging more than 29 minutes per game.
Wake Forest Basketball
For the first time in a few years, Wake Forest isn’t on the NCAA Tournament bubble in mid-February. The wheels fell off a bit after a misleading start to non-conference play, where the Deacs had both Michigan and Texas Tech on the ropes and lost to both of them by just one.
Steve Forbes’ group has won its last two, but it still sits at just 13-12 on the season and 4-8 in the ACC. Those wins were a 16-point road victory vs. last-place Georgia Tech and a 68-63 home win over Stanford.
Point guard Nate Calmese has missed the last four games for Wake and remains in a walking boot. This means everything will continue to run through sophomore Juke Harris.
Harris has been great all season, but his production has hit another level since Calmese went down, operating as the team’s clear No. 1. He’s averaging 26.5 points per game over these last four games and has played 158 of 160 possible minutes.
Wake is middle of the pack in the ACC in offensive efficiency, checking in at 10th, but what’s really held this team back is its defense. The Deacs have the fourth-worst defense in ACC play and are last in defensive rebounding rate.
To make up for its undersized frontcourt, Wake looks to create havoc and force turnovers, which it's done a pretty good job of, placing fourth in the league in turnover rate.
Clemson vs. Wake Forest Betting Analysis
I’m all over Clemson in this spot.
First off, I’m expecting maximum focus and attention to detail coming off back-to-back losses. The Virginia Tech loss was the Tigers' worst performance of the season, and I like how they competed vs. Duke — the Blue Devils are just too good.
Based on Brownell’s track record of late — as the Tigers are 28-5 in the last two seasons of ACC play — they're used to taking care of business in spots like this.
With Wake Forest’s soft frontcourt, its only chance to win in this one is forcing a bunch of turnovers and shooting a very high clip from deep.
I’ll take the more balanced and disciplined team with the stronger identity to secure the road win and cover here.
My Pick: Clemson -3 (Play to -6)
