Iowa vs Clemson College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament First Round

The No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes (21-12) and the No. 8 Clemson Tigers (24-10) battle on Friday for a spot in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The opening-round matchup tips off at 6:50 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Iowa vs. Clemson Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Friday, March 20, 2026
• Game time: 6:50 p.m. ET
• TV channel: TNT
• Location: Tampa, Florida
• Arena: Benchmark International Arena

Iowa vs. Clemson Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Iowa win (50.5%)

Iowa is a 2.5-point favorite over Clemson on Friday and the over/under has been set at 130.5 points. Below are some betting trends and insights before you place a wager on the outing.

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Iowa vs. Clemson: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Iowa has won 18 games against the spread this season, while failing to cover 15 times.
• Clemson has won 17 games against the spread this year, while failing to cover 17 times.
• When the spread is set as 2.5 or more this season, Iowa (13-9) covers a lower percentage of those games when it is the favorite (59.1%) than Clemson (3-2) does as the underdog (60%).
• In home games, the Hawkeyes sport a better record against the spread (10-7-0) compared to their ATS record in road games (5-6-0).
• The Tigers have performed better against the spread away (7-4-0) than at home (7-9-0) this season.

Iowa vs. Clemson: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Iowa has been the moneyline favorite in 20 games this season and has come away with the win 17 times (85%) in those contests.
• This season, the Hawkeyes have come away with a win 16 times in 19 chances when named as a favorite of at least -138 or better on the moneyline.
• Clemson has won 16.7% of the games this season it was the underdog on the moneyline (1-5).
• The Tigers are 1-5 (winning just 16.7% of their games) when they have played as a moneyline underdog of +115 or longer.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies Iowa has a 58% chance of walking away with the win.

Iowa vs. Clemson Head-to-Head Comparison

• On offense, Iowa was the 16th-best squad in college basketball (82.5 points per game) last season. However, defensively it was 16th-worst (79.7 points allowed per game).
• Last year, Iowa was 310th in the nation in rebounds (29.7 per game) and 21st-worst in rebounds conceded (34.4).
• Iowa was third-best in college basketball in assists (18.3 per game) last season.
• Last season, Iowa was 35th in the country in turnovers committed (9.5 per game) and 112th in turnovers forced (12.0).
• Clemson posted 76.1 points per game (112th-ranked in college basketball) last year, while surrendering 65.8 points per contest (27th-ranked).
• Last season Clemson pulled down 32.4 rebounds per game (156th-ranked in college basketball) and gave up 29.8 rebounds per contest (90th-ranked).
• Last year Clemson ranked 124th in college basketball in assists, averaging 14.2 per game.
• Last year Clemson committed 10.1 turnovers per game (79th-ranked in college basketball) and forced 12.3 turnovers per contest (85th-ranked).

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