ESPN Predicts The Winner Of Clemson Vs. Louisville Basketball

Can Brad Brownell’s Clemson Tigers snap their losing streak against the 20th-ranked Louisville Cardinals in ACC basketball play Saturday?

The Tigers (20-8 overall, 10-5 conference) are slumping at a bad time as the ACC basketball regular season nears its climax. After a 10-1 start in conference play that included 13 wins in 14 games, Clemson‘s four-game skid has caused ESPN’s latest bubble watch to remove the team from its list of NCAA Tournament “locks.”

In its most recent loss, a 70-65 setback at home to a Quadrant 3 opponent in Florida State, the Tigers couldn’t knock down shots at critical times over the game’s final minutes and had no answer in the second half for FSU’s Robert McCray, who scored 22 of his 29 points after halftime.

Clemson’s offense, which rates 75th nationally in KenPom, has averaged 65.5 points per game during its four-game losing streak. By comparison, Louisville (20-8, 9-6) averages a league-high 86.4 points per game and its offense is 15th-best nationally in KenPom and 10th-best in ESPN’s BPI.

Things don’t get any easier after Saturday.when Clemson heads to Chapel Hill for a matchup with another top-25 team in 19th-ranked North Carolina. The Tigers close the season with a rematch against Georgia Tech at home, but a win in either of the next two games would provide a big shot in the arm for a team that earlier in the month was tied with Duke atop the ACC standings.

Four star power forward to take unofficial visit to Clemson https://t.co/G2clVa3RoQ pic.twitter.com/hJiC87MNOR

— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) February 26, 2026

Can Clemson upset Louisville basketball? Not likely, ESPN says

Ahead of Clemson-Louisville, ESPN’s matchup predictor, which offers a prediction model based on its college basketball power index (BPI) and other variables, weighed in with its odds. ESPN’s metrics give the Tigers only a 41.7% chance to win and the Cardinals a 58.3% chance.

Where Clemson basketball lands in ESPN’s BPI metrics after four straight losses

Clemson is 33rd nationally in ESPN’s latest BPI ratings, down four spots from last week and six spots overall since its losing streak began. The Tigers have a 14.6 overall BPI rating, down from 15.1 last week. The metrics give the Tigers a 5.7 rating on offense that rates 55th nationally, and a 8.8 rating on defense that’s 17th nationally.

Louisville is No. 11 overall in ESPN’s BPI team rankings. The Cardinals have an offensive rating of 10.8, which is 10th nationally, and a defensive rating of 9.1.

ACC basketball teams ranked by ESPN BPI with NCAA Tournament looming

Nov 29, 2020; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; A general view of the ACC conference logo on the court prior to the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the North Florida Ospreys at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

18. Boston College Eagles (0.5 BPI0
17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1.6 BPI)
16. Pittsburgh Panthers (5.5 BPI)
15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6.8 BPI)
14. Florida State Seminoles (6.9 BPI)
13. Stanford Cardinals (7.0 BPI)
12. California Golden Bears (8.0 BPI)
11. Syracuse Orange (8.1 BPI)
10. Virginia Tech Hokies (8.7 BPI)
9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9.1 BPI)
8. Miami Hurricanes (13.0 BPI)
7. SMU Mustangs (13.6 BPI)
6. Clemson Tigers (14.6 BPI)
5. North Carolina Tar Heels (14.7 BPI)
4. NC State Wolfpack (14.9 BPI)
3. Virginia Cavaliers (17.0 BPI)
2. Louisville Cardinals (19.9 BPI)
1. Duke Blue Devils (25.6)

What is ESPN Basketball Power Index?

ESPN explains its basketball power index and score projections:

The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team’s W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily.”

Clemson continues slide in NET rankings, KenPom amid losing streak https://t.co/rO4r0EZVpC pic.twitter.com/NuQUwEFvJy

— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) February 24, 2026

Start time, TV channel for Clemson vs Louisville basketball

Tipoff for Clemson-Louisville is 2 p.m. ET Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Additionally, the game can be heard on the Clemson Athletic Network featuring Tigers play-by-play voice Don Munson and analyst Tim Bourret. The Clemson radio call of the game can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 81.

Find your local Clemson radio affiliate below.

CITY, STATE	FREQUENCY
Clemson	105.5 FM
Camden	102.7
Charleston	98.5
Columbia	93.1
Florence	97.1
Greenville	92.5
Greenwood	1450 AM
Hampton	92.1
Hilton Head	96.1
Hilton Head	1130
Myrtle Beach	100.7
Myrtle Beach	105.9
Newberry	1240
Orangeburg	105.3
Rock Hill	100.1
Rock Hill	1340
Spartanburg	97.5
Sumter	94.7
Union	103.5
Union	1460
Charlotte, N.C.	730
Lincolnton, N.C.	1050

Where Clemson basketball stands in NET rankings after another loss https://t.co/8pa8oqnlbe pic.twitter.com/VfKSxOiLAO

— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) February 19, 2026

Clemson basketball schedule 2025-2026

All start times Eastern.

Nov. 3: vs. New Hampshire (W, 88-38)
Nov. 7: vs. Gardner-Webb (W, 97-59)
Nov. 11: vs. Morehead State (W, 83-56)
Nov. 15: at Georgetown (L, 79-74)
Nov. 17: vs. North Alabama (W, 81-61)
Nov. 21: vs. West Virginia (W, 70-67)
Nov. 23: vs. Georgia (W, 97-94, OT)
Nov. 28: vs. Alabama A&M (W, 92-56)
Dec. 3: at Alabama (L, 90-84)
Dec. 9 vs. BYU (L, 67-64)
Dec. 13: vs. Mercer (W, 70-63)
Dec. 16: vs. South Carolina (W, 68-61)
Dec. 21: vs. Cincinnati (W, 68-65)
Dec. 31: at Syracuse (W, 64-61)
Jan. 3: at Pittsburgh (W, 73-68)
Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 74-70)
Jan. 10: at Notre Dame (W, 76-61)
Jan. 13: vs. Boston College (W, 74-50)
Jan. 17: vs. Miami (W, 69-59)
Jan. 20: vs. NC State (L, 80-76, OT)
Jan. 24: at Georgia Tech (W, 77-63)
Jan. 31: vs. Pittsburgh (W, 63-52)
Feb. 4: at Stanford (W, 66-64)
Feb. 7: at California (W, 77-55)
Feb. 11: vs. Virginia Tech (L, 76-66)
Feb. 14: at Duke (L, 67-54)
Feb. 18: at Wake Forest (L, 85-77)
Feb. 21: Florida State (L, 70-65)
Feb. 28: vs. Louisville, 2 p.m., ESPN2
March 3: at North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU
March 7: vs. Georgia Tech, Noon, ACC Network
March 10-14: ACC Tournament (Spectrum Center, Charlotte)

Overall: 20-8.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson basketball odds of beating Louisville, per ESPN

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