Clemson vs. New Mexico won’t feel like most No. 6 vs. No. 11 seed matchups when the West Region first-round NCAA Tournament game tips off Friday afternoon from FedExForum in Memphis.
That’s because the Tigers (21-11 overall) aren’t like most No. 6 seeds in the eyes of Vegas and various analysts making predictions for Friday’s game.
Clemson (21-11) earned an at-large berth in the tournament after a largely up-and-down ACC season. New Mexico (26-9) defeated San Diego State on Saturday to win the Mountain West Tournament and clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Lobos are a 2.5-point favorite over Clemson, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. New Mexico is -145 on the moneyline while Clemson is +120. The over/under for points scored is 148.5.
It’s not just the sportsbooks that don’t favor the Tigers, either.
ESPN’s John Gasaway and Keith Lipscomb wrote this week that Clemson is the most likely No. 11 seed to face a first-round exit.
Per ESPN:
Yes, we heartily agree with other laptops, Vegas, social media and that know-it-all relative. This looks like a game where the Lobos are straight-up favorites. UNM’s Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House form arguably one of the better backcourts in the entire field. The committee might view this bid as having been “stolen” by New Mexico, but Richard Pitino’s group is quite capable of advancing.
March Madness is all about who gets hot at the right time, though, and Brad Brownell’s Tigers have certainly shown flashes of that this season with wins over ACC regular season champion and No. 1 seed North Carolina, No. 4 seed Alabama and other NCAA Tournament teams.
Tipoff for Friday’s game is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised by truTV.