The NC State Wolfpack take on the Clemson Tigers in Clemson, SC. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Clemson is favored by 3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -198. The total is set at 141.5 points.
Here’s my NC State vs. Clemson predictions and college basketball picks for January 20, 2026.
NC State vs Clemson Prediction
My Pick: Clemson -3.5
My NC State vs Clemson 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.
NC State vs. Clemson Odds
| NC State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -108 | 141.5 -112o / -108u | +164 |
| Clemson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -112 | 141.5 -112o / -108u | -198 |
- NC State vs Clemson spread: Clemson -3.5
- NC State vs Clemson over/under: 141.5 points
- NC State vs Clemson moneyline: NC State +164, Clemson -198
NC State vs Clemson College Basketball Betting Preview
NC State Basketball
The Wolfpack seemed to turn a corner after a disappointing start to the season, as they beat Ole Miss and Wake Forest by convincing margins in back-to-back games before the calendar flipped.
Then, NC State got dominated on its home floor by Virginia and struggled to beat a bad Boston College team on the road.
The Wolfpack seemingly brought it back together again with a 113-69 demolition against Florida State on the road, but then, they lost to a bad Georgia Tech team at home in their most recent game.
However, even when things have been going right for NC State, it's shown incredibly limited upside against the top teams in the sport. The Wolfpack are just 1-5 in games against top-50 KenPom squads, with the only win coming against 48th-ranked VCU at home.
Along with struggling against better competition, NC State has also been wildly inconsistent throughout the season, as evidenced by a No. 360 ranking in EvanMiya’s consistency metric.
At their best, the Wolfpack have the potential to beat great teams, but they haven’t played to that level when facing elite competition this season.
Pairing that tendency with the reality that this team will also be very uncomfortable playing at Clemson’s slow pace, and there’s not a lot of reason for optimism heading into this matchup.
Clemson Basketball
I talked about NC State’s inconsistency, but on the other end of this matchup, the Tigers are the nation’s leader in EvanMiya’s consistency metric.
Clemson’s game-by-game results perfectly mirror that consistency. Two of the Tigers’ three losses are close losses away from home to teams ranked higher than them on KenPom. Their third loss was an upset against 100th-ranked Georgetown, but that was just Clemson’s fourth game of the season.
NC State is ranked 30th in KenPom, but the Tigers have dealt with many teams in that exact range of KenPom's rankings this season.
In fact, Clemson (No. 26 on KenPom) is 3-0 against teams ranked between No. 28 and No. 34 on KenPom. The Tigers defeated No. 28 Georgia 97-94 in overtime on a neutral court back in November, knocked off No. 34 SMU 74-70 at home in early January and topped No. 31 Miami (FL) 69-59 at home over the weekend.
It’s a relatively simple conclusion, but the Tigers have essentially beaten three teams at the exact level of NC State already this season. They have an average margin of victory of 5.7 points in those three games as well.
Clemson’s incredible consistency this season means that trend is likely to continue, especially with no glaring matchup problems on either side.
NC State vs. Clemson Betting Analysis
I’m picking Clemson to cover the spread in this game. This clash of polar opposites in consistency and ability to play against high-level competition will make for a very interesting matchup, especially with NC State looking for a bounce-back game.
Still, I feel confident picking the Tigers to win, and even though the Wolfpack are volatile enough to play their best game of the year and come out with a victory, they've struggled so much against better teams that I have no reason to trust them in this game, especially in a tough road environment.
The Tigers’ consistency will shine through as they look for their 14th consecutive victory in regular-season conference matchups (dating back to the final eight games of last season).
My Pick: Clemson -3.5
