Iowa Hawkeyes vs Clemson Tigers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/20/2026

Game Time: 6:50 pm ET, Friday, March 20, 2026

Venue:  Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Iowa -2.5, Clemson +2.5; Over/Under:  129.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Iowa -2.5, Clemson +2.5; Over/Under:  129.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Iowa -2.5, Clemson +2.5; Over/Under:  129.5 points

Iowa Hawkeyes:  21-12 (10-10) (9th place, Big Ten)

Clemson Tigers:  24-10 (12-6) (5th place, ACC)

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Iowa Hawkeyes:  1-4  last 5

Clemson Tigers:  3-2  last 5

Iowa is entering this game with a 21-12 record overall, a 10-10 record in conference games, and they are 4-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Ohio State Buckeyes in their last game. Bennett Stirtz led the team in points in that game with 17 while Cam Manyawu and Tavion Banks each were next on the team with 9. Bennett Stirtz led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Alvaro Folgueiras led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 50% from the field, 47.6% from 3-point range, and 78.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66 PPG against them. Iowa has an ATS record of 18-15 this season and their O/U record is 19-14.

Clemson is entering this game with a 24-10 record overall, a 12-6 conference record, and they are 5-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Duke Blue Devils in their last game. RJ Godfrey led the team in points in that game with 18 while Jestin Porter was next on the team with 12. Dillon Hunter led the team in assists with 4 in that game while RJ Godfrey led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 32.7% from the field, 28% from 3-point range, and 78.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.7 PPG against them. Clemson has an ATS record of 16-16-1 this season and their O/U record is 13-20.

The current betting odds have Iowa listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Iowa has looked good in their games this season with their 21-12 record overall and their 10-10 conference record which had them right in the middle of the Big Ten. They have looked good in their neutral site games though with their 4-1 record in those. Meanwhile, Clemson has looked good in their games this season with their 24-10 record overall and their 12-6 conference record which had them in the top half of the ACC. They have looked good in their neutral site games too, going 5-2. Clemson is off a loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament and they are 3-5 in their last 5 games, looking like the better team lately, but they have also been a really up and down team all season. They have been finding ways to win games all year and have some good wins under their belt too, but they have also taken some really bad losses and haven't really been that good overall. Their offense isn't that great as they don't really have a consistent scorer and Iowa is going to have the best player on the court in this one. Iowa is off a loss to Ohio State in their last one and they have looked terrible lately as they are 1-4 in their last 5 games, but they did play in a stronger conference with the Big Ten having better teams at the top of the conference too, compared to the ACC. At the end of the day, Iowa has a difference maker on their team while Clemson doesn't, so look for Stirtz to have a big impact on the result of this game. The best way to place a bet here is on Iowa to cover the spread in this game. 

Iowa Clemson Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, March 20, 2026 (6:50 pm ET start time) is Iowa 71 Clemson 66.

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Iowa Hawkeyes: 13-23 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 17-26 ATS versus teams who are called for 17 or less fouls/game. 24-33 ATS versus good shooting teams - making 45% of their shots or more. 9-5 UNDER after failing to cover the spread in 3 or more consecutive games.

Clemson Tigers: 16-6 ATS as an underdog. 36-22 ATS versus good shooting teams - making 45% of their shots or more. 26-19 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 12-6 UNDER in all tournament games.

Iowa Hawkeyes:  P. McCollum (G) Out - Foot.

Clemson Tigers:  C. Welling (F) Questionable - Knee. T. Steinour (F) Questionable - Undisclosed. Z. Foster (G) Out - Knee.

“It’s been a long road. It feels like it’s been two years, just because we’ve moved two straight years, and tried to reinvigorate two great programs. Obviously we were fortunate to get this one off the ground, but we had great players help us with that, my staff, and you saw the result of that, making the NCAA Tournament.” - Ben McCollum on his team making the NCAA Tournament as a 9 seed. 

“We do not take these for granted. It is a lot of hard work that goes into this. I am really proud of our team. These guys have given us maximum effort all year.” - Brad Brownell on his team making the NCAA Tournament as an 8 seed.

T. Banks 

K. Combs 

C. Koch 

C. Manyawu 

B. Stirtz

R. Godfrey 

D. Hunter 

J. Porter 

J. Wahlin 

C. Welling

PPG: Bennett Stirtz (20)

APG: Bennett Stirtz (4.5)

Reb/G: Tavion Banks (4.7)

PPG: RJ Godfrey (11.9)

APG: Dillon Hunter (3)

Reb/G: Carter Welling (5.4)

Coaches:

Iowa Hawkeyes: Ben McCollum (1st season)

Clemson Tigers: Brad Brownell (16th season)