(18) Arkansas at Clemson
Time: 5 PM ET
TV: ESPN U
Spread: ARK -3
M/L: ARK -155; CLE +135
Total: 140
Betting odds c/o Bovada
The Arkansas Razorbacks are back to being the dominant team they once were. The Razorbacks rank 5th in the nation in scoring with an average of 88.1 points per game and generate a nation-leading 20.9 assists per game. Traveling to Clemson the No. 18 ranked Razorbacks will be 3-point favorites according to college basketball oddsmakers at Bovada.
The Razorbacks dropped its first big game of the season, a matchup against No. 20 Iowa State. It wasn’t close. The Razorbacks lost by 18 points and the loss snapped a six-game win streak. Arkansas trailed 32-52 at the half, and played a strong second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the horrible start. Bobby Portis had a strong game, going 8-of-10 from the floor for 19 points to go with his eight boards. Four of five Razorbacks starters finished with double figures, but the bench contributed just 16 points.
Anthion Bell had a tough night and the backcourt connected on just 4-of-16 from the floor, including Bell shooting 0-of-6 from behind the arc. The Razorbacks snagged nine offensive rebounds, but strong games from Bryce Dejean Jones and Georges Niang were too much. The duo accounted for 53 points for Iowa State.
Clemson is 4-3 and 2-2 at home this season. The Tigers lost 69-64 to Rutgers on Dec 1 to snap a three game win streak that included wins over Nevada and LSU. This will represent a bigger test for Clemson, though the Tigers have dropped to some very lowly opponents thus far (Winthrop and Garner-Webb).
The Tigers rank low in all major statistical categories, but could be getting things going this season. Clemson has a balanced attack featuring four players who average double figure scoring, paced by Demarcus Harrison’s 11.9 points, four rebounds per game. Landry Nnoko scores 11.6 while grabbing 7.9 rebounds and blocking 2.6 shots per game.
