NCAA Tournament Pick: Midwest Region – Clemson vs. McNeese – Thursday, March 20, 2025

The 12th-seed McNeese Cowboys (27-6) and fifth-seed Clemson Tigers (27-6) will square off in the first round of the Men’s Basketball Championship in the Midwest Region on Thursday, March 20 at 3:15 PM ET. This showdown will take place at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, where the Tigers are favored with a point spread at -7.5 (-105) at MyBookie.

McNeese Cowboys Betting Preview

The Cowboys have impressive momentum heading into this battle, as they have won their last 11 games. Their recent success was a 63-54 performance over the Lamar Cardinals in the Southland Tournament Final.

Lamar kept this game close despite being 12.5 underdogs (which they covered the spread), but could not make key possessions count late to steal a win. McNeese offered slightly better defense in the second, ultimately giving them the edge. Quadir Copeland led with 18 points and four assists.

McNeese shot 41.7 percent from the field, but horribly from deep at 17.6 percent. They held the Cardinals to 30.8 percent shooting overall and 21.7 percent from long range. They will need a better offensive performance from long range in order to disrupt what the Tigers are going to put up.

The Cowboys are averaging 77.2 points a game and rank 89th in the country. On defense, they have held opposing teams to 64.0 points per contest and rank 16th. This is solid, given that they are in a weaker conference, but have a huge upcoming test to see if those numbers stick.

Clemson Tigers Betting Preview

The Tigers had their nine-game win streak snapped with a 76-73 outing against the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC Tournament Semifinal. During this win streak, they kicked it off with a win over the (previously) second-ranked Duke Blue Devils and defeated some of the other top teams in the conference.

Against the Cardinals, Clemson had a slight lead early but could not hold onto it as the game progressed. By halftime, they had lost it and never obtained it again. Chase Hunter had a big game with 20 points on 40.0 percent shooting.

Clemson made 39.1 percent of their shots and 31.3 percent of their three pointers. On defense, they allowed the Cardinals to make 43.6 percent of their buckets and 27.3 percent of their long range attempts.

The Tigers are putting up 76.3 points a game, ranking 108th. Their defense is allowing opponents to get 65.7 points each matchup, ranking 26th. These are great numbers in the ACC, so Clemson should have a great game here.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

MyBookie has you covered for the best McNeese Cowboys vs. Clemson Tigers betting odds. Current odds show the Tigers are expected to win by 7.5 points. Looking at market insights, it suggests the Tigers have a 79.8 percent chance at winning. The Tigers are appealing to cover the spread here.

Final Pick: Clemson Tigers -7.5 (-105)