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Gambling911.com has your predictions for the Wichita State Shockers vs. Clemson Tigers game along with the latest odds.
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The winner of this matchup advances to Tuesday's Quarter Final.
Wichita State - Wichita State hopes to pull off a second straight upset on Sunday when the sixth-seeded Shockers go on the road to face No. 2-seed Clemson in the second round of the NIT. The Shockers bench depth has helped this team to advance.
Case in point: Freshman Erik Stevenson scored 12 points off the bench to lead a second-unit that outscored the Paladins by a 25-3 margin.
"The rims felt wider. Wider than usual," Stevenson told reporters Wednesday after his eighth double-figure scoring game of the season. "I just felt like I was in a good rhythm. They were trying to take away Markis (McDuffie) and Samajae (Haynes-Jones), so I had to step up, shoot it like I usually do." The game was tied at 60 when McDuffie and Haynes-Jones - the team's only two seniors - took over and netted 10 points as the Shockers scored on eight of their final nine possessions to secure their spot in the second round. Clemson's already tight rotation took a hit before its 75-69 first-round triumph over Wright State on Wednesday as it learned senior point guard and third-leading scorer Shelton Mitchell (11.5 points per game) would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. While Tigers' head coach Brad Brownell will be forced to essentially use a six-man rotation - only freshman John Newman played more than six minutes off the bench Wednesday - his thoughts are with the senior, who's collegiate career ended prematurely. "I hate it for Shelton because he wants to keep playing, but it's tough right now. It was really bothering him down the stretch."
Clemson - Guard Marcquise Reed scored a game-high 24 points against Wright State and ranks third in the ACC in scoring with 19.5 points per game while dishing out a team-high 3.1 assists. Senior forward Elijah Thomas sits second in the conference in field goal percentage (62.3) and eclipsed 1,000 career points Wednesday as he scored 12 of his 17 after halftime. A Tigers' defense that finished second in points allowed during ACC play (62.6) has the 11th-best two-point defense in the country as opponents make just 44.2 percent from inside the arc - six points below the national average.
Predictions
Winners and Whiners: "I will look for Wichita State to keep this one close. The Shockers did not play great ball for much of the year, but they have turned it on of late, having won seven of their last eight games. their offense has come on of late as they have averaged 74.8 ppg over their last five games, while the Tigers have averaged just 68.6 ppg over the same stretch. Both defenses are very solid, but the Shockers get the edge on offense right now and that will allow them to keep this one close. The clincher is the fact that the Shockers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600." Prediction: Wichita State +7
FanDuel: Wichita State vs Clemson Prop Bet - "Away Team (Wichita State) Total Points: Over 64.5 (-110) – Wichita State isn't lighting up the scoreboard every night, but it does average 70.9 points per game on the season. Additionally, the Shockers have scored at least 65 points in nine of their last 10 contests, including their win over Furman in the first round of the NIT."
Action vs. Line Movement
Close to 90% of the spread action was on the Shockers as a +7 underdog. One would anticipate the line on this game moving downward, and at a more aggressive pace.
In some cases the books opened at -9.5. The line has dropped a point from -8 to -7 as bookmakers follow the action here.
Line
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
