Iowa vs. Clemson First Round Game Preview, Picks, Betting Odds & Data

By Thom Cunningham | Mar 19, 2026, 5:47pm

The Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Clemson Tigers in an intriguing South Region matchup on Friday night. Let’s go through the betting analytics and decipher the best wagering route for this No. 9 vs. No. 8 seeded meeting in Tampa, Florida.

Iowa vs. Clemson Game Information

Date: Friday, Mar. 20, 2026
Time: 6:50 p.m. ET
Network: TNT
Region: South
Location: Tampa, Florida
Venue: Benchmark International Arena

Iowa vs. Clemson Betting Resources

Iowa vs. Clemson Betting Odds

Iowa vs. Clemson Betting Data

Iowa Hawkeyes

Region Odds: +5000
Sweet 16 Odds: +600
Elite Eight Odds: +1300
Final Four Odds: +8000
National Title Odds: +30000

Seed: No. 9
Record: 21-12
Conference: Big Ten
PS/G: 75.2
PA/G: 66
ORtg: 118.2
DRtg: 103.7

Clemson Tigers

Region Odds:
Sweet 16 Odds:
Elite Eight Odds:
Final Four Odds:
National Title Odds:

Seed: No. 8
Record: 24-10
Conference: ACC
PS/G: 74.1
PA/G: 66.7
ORtg: 112.4
DRtg: 101.2

Iowa vs. Clemson Key Players

Iowa Hawkeyes

Bennett Stirtz (SR) – 20 ppg; 4.5 apg
Tavion Banks (SR) – 10.5 ppg; 4.7 rpg

Clemson Tigers

RJ Godfrey (SR) – 11.9 ppg; 5.3 rpg

Iowa vs. Clemson Betting Analysis

Iowa enters this tournament on a three-game ATS skid, while Clemson is also on an ATS skid approaching this matchup – dropping its last two. Clemson has won 10 straight non-conference games outright when playing on a Friday, while Iowa has won the 1H in 11 of 12 non-conference games. If those trends hold true, Clemson at halftime might be a wise live betting move to consider.

While Iowa is 20-13 on the O/U this season, Clemson is 14-20 – perpendicular trends in the total market.

Iowa vs. Clemson Best Bet, Pick & Prediction

Looking at the betting data, this actually seems to be one of the more simpler bets to make in the First Round – not sure if that’s a good omen or not. Either way, we’ll go Over a very low total at 128, with Iowa hitting 130 total points or more in 17 straight games against non-AP ranked schools. Iowa isn’t the concern in the total market as much as Clemson is, but the score projection supports a large clearing of the line while Clemson has scored 64 points or more in 42 straight non-conference games.

Also, as much as Clemson goes Under they have not hit back-to-back Unders since Feb. 4 and Feb. 7. Clemson went Under last game against Duke.

Score Prediction: Iowa 71, Clemson 70
Best Bet: Over 128 (-110)

Photo Credit: AP/Nell Redmond

Thom Cunningham

Thom Cunningham is the Lineups.com News Editor and has been involved with sports media for almost two decades at Spectrum, VegasInsider.com, Oddschecker, VSiN and much more as a content producer - focused on the betting and gaming space over the last decade tracking insights, data analytics and covering various markets from the NFL to the Oscars.