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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Kentucky-Clemson prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Kentucky-Clemson.
The college basketball season is picking up momentum, and on Tuesday night, the SEC-ACC Challenge gives us this featured attraction as part of a loaded slate of games.
Kentucky has thrived in the first month of play under new coach Mark Pope. We all wondered how Pope would take the baton from John Calipari in Lexington. So far, so good. Kentucky has a veteran lineup, and the Wildcats used that experience well in their big win over Cooper Flagg and Duke earlier this season. Pope was able to make good in-game adjustments down the stretch. He outmaneuvered Duke coach Jon Scheyer and offered evidence that he is up to the task of leading a blueblood program after coaching BYU the previous few seasons. Pope, a member of Rick Pitino's 1996 national championship team at Kentucky, loves Big Blue and is deeply connected to the school. Kentucky wasn't just an amazing career opportunity for Pope; it was a chance to come home in many ways and return to a place which is profoundly special to him. He is coaching like a man who appreciates what he has and knows how important it is to be in his position. If he continues to handle the Xs and Os in big situations, he could carve out a successful and historic tenure at UK.
This game at Clemson will be a strong test of how evolved Pope's Kentucky team truly is.
The Tigers, coming off an Elite Eight run — narrowly missing the school's first Final Four appearance — will be a tough out at home. Clemson has looked solid this season, losing to Boise State but bouncing back to thrash a talented San Francisco side by 15 and then beating Penn State on a neutral floor during Feast Week. Clemson coach Brad Brownell has had an up-and-down career with the Tigers, but whenever it has seemed that he was beginning to lose the plot, he has bounced back and steadied himself.
After making the Elite Eight — Clemson's first Elite Eight since 1980 — Brownell's job is competely safe (again). He has been at CU since 2010 and has been able to escape the hot seat on the occasions when he coached his way into a corner. Brownell has created trouble for himself but has dug out of danger every time. His leadership abilities have lifted Clemson to a higher level than many thought possible. Coming off that Elite Eight season, this Kentucky game is the first really big defining moment of the 2024-2025 season. Toppling unbeaten Kentucky would affirm Clemson as an NCAA Tournament-quality team this season, enabling the program to retain the momentum it developed with its deep March Madness run last spring.
Here are the Kentucky-Clemson College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Kentucky-Clemson Odds
Kentucky: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -120
Clemson: +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +100
Over: 155.5 (-110)
Under: 155.5 (-110)
How to Watch Kentucky vs Clemson
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Kentucky Will Cover The Spread/Win
The game is close to a pick 'em. Pick the winner, pick the spread winner. Mark Pope is up for this job at Kentucky. The way he handled the first month of the season inspires total confidence that Pope will guide UK past Clemson, which is a good team but not better than the Duke team Kentucky handled a few weeks ago.
Why Clemson Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Tigers are at home. They will have a very loud crowd at their back. Kentucky is due for some regression, and Clemson is going to play this game like a Final Four game. It's all-in for the Tigers, who will play above their weight in this one.
Final Kentucky-Clemson Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Kentucky, but the game feels like a coin flip. Pass.
Final Kentucky-Clemson Prediction & Pick: Kentucky -1.5
