Clemson vs. Wake Forest prediction and odds for Tuesday, January 17 (Sell high on Clemson)

The surprising top team in the ACC this season is Clemson, who is fresh off a come from behind win at home against Duke on Saturday.

The Tigers are back on the road on Tuesday against Wake Forest, who is trending towards being a bubble team come Selection Sunday, but is 5-2 in ACC play and has won three straight. However, the Demon Deacons lost against Clemson back in December by 20 on the road, should we expect a similar result in the rematch?

Here’s the odds and our best bet:

Clemson vs. Wake Forest odds, spread and total

Clemson vs. Wake Forest prediction and pick

I faded Clemson on Saturday without much success, but I will continue to fade this team against the best ACC offense in Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were tied into the second half at Clemson last month before running out of gas and losing by 20. The Tigers shot 40% from 3 in that game, which offset their 19 turnovers in that one.

I expect the Wake offense to outpace Clemson’s defense that is reliant on packing it in the paint and cleaning the glass, the team is 12th in turnover rate but third in defensive rebounding rate in ACC play.

Big man Andrew Carr has emerged for Wake lately and will take the task of slowing down PJ Hall, who had 21 in the first meeting.

However, I believe Carr on the other end may cause some issues for Clemson’s defense, pulling the likes of Hall outside the paint and opening up driving lanes for Tyree Appleby to generate clean looks on the offensive end.

For what it’s worth, Appleby struggled in this matchup two days after he scored 32 points in a road win against Wisconsin. I expect a better showing from the lead guard on Tuesday.

Ultimately, this Clemson team isn’t as good as its record states, and the line says enough. Lay it with Wake.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.