The Louisville Cardinals take on the Clemson Tigers in Clemson, SC. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Louisville is favored by 1.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -115. The total is set at 145.5 points.
Here’s my Louisville vs. Clemson prediction and college basketball picks for February 28, 2026.
Louisville vs Clemson Prediction
My Pick: Louisville -2 or Better
My Louisville vs Clemson best bet is on the Cardinals 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.
Louisville vs. Clemson Odds
| Louisville Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -105 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | -115 |
| Clemson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -115 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | -105 |
- Louisville vs Clemson spread: Louisville -1.5
- Louisville vs Clemson over/under: 145.5
- Louisville vs Clemson moneyline: Louisville -115, Clemson -105
Louisville vs Clemson College Basketball Betting Preview
Louisville Basketball
Louisville lost two of its last three games against UNC and SMU away from home. It'll look to change the road woes in Littlejohn Coliseum against Clemson.
Pat Kelsey's squad is 20-8 overall and 9-6 in ACC play.
Shooting is everything for this Louisville squad, as it attempts 3s on 52% of field goals. The Cards are an effective shooting team, connecting on 36% of those looks.
Most of the shooting is from the guards, starting with Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell. Brown is on a heater of late, scoring 24+ points in four of his last five games. Conwell was known as a more efficient scorer before landing at Louisville.
However, the freedom given to the guards created inefficient tendencies in Conwell. He averages 18 points per game, but he shoots just 40% from the field and 35% from 3. His talent is better than a 40% shooter, though.
I have to say, Louisville is clearly a different team with Brown. That's a captain obvious comment sure, but it matters, as three of the Cardinals' six conference losses came with Brown out.
Don't sleep on the interior play of Louisville. Just based on straight effort plays, Sananda Fru is one of the better bigs in the ACC. He scores 9.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 75% from the field. Kelsey isn't drawing up plays for Fru, but he defends at an elite level and crashes the offensive glass.
Fru is the primary reason Louisville holds opponents to 47% shooting on 2s (44th nationally). That helped the Cardinals' defense jump to 25th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Clemson Basketball
Clemson went from a stone-cold tournament lock three weeks ago to losing five straight games. The Tigers now sit at 20-8 overall and 10-6 in ACC play.
It's tough to be a very good team with the 75th-best offense in the country. The Tigers want to dump the ball down low and they hope to score inside. They shoot 54% from inside the arc, but also just 33% from deep. That could become an issue, as the Tigers attempt 3s on 43% of field goal attempts.
The leading scorer for Clemson is RJ Godfrey with 11.5 points per game, but seven other players average 5.5+ points. Three of its four top scorers are bigs, which speaks to the bigger issues for Clemson. Nick Davidson and Jake Wahlin can scorch it, hitting over 35% from 3.
I have no trust in the Tigers' guards. Dillon Hunter (7.7 PPG) is the best of the bunch, but nobody on the team can create a shot in big moments. That really changes my belief in the Tigers turning things around.
You'd expect a team that starts three 6-foot-10 or taller players to crash the offensive glass. However, Clemson grabs offensive rebounds just 29% of the time.
Creating extra possessions would help Clemson score off the barrage of missed 3s.
Louisville vs. Clemson Betting Analysis
Louisville is the play. It's a road game, but I just think Clemson is a mediocre team. The Tigers have zero wins over top-30 opponents and have a major talent disadvantage.
The Cardinals want to push the tempo, playing the 36th-fastest tempo in the country.
On the flip side, Clemson is 337th in adjusted tempo.
The game has to be played half-court game for the Tigers to have a chance. Louisville can make them play out of sorts by forcing misses and get rolling in transition.
Give me the Cards.
My Pick: Louisville -2 or Better
