Former tournament champions the Clemson Tigers and Temple Owls square off Thursday at TD Arena on the first day of the 2021 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic. The Tigers (3-0), who won the inaugural 2008 event in Charleston, S.C., made the NCAA Tournament last season, losing to Rutgers in the first round. They come in off a 93-70 rout of Bryant on Monday and have also beaten Presbyterian and Wofford. Temple (1-1), which won the 2017 tournament, struggled to a 5-11 mark in last season’s abbreviated schedule but has a lot of talented players. The Owls lost 76-71 to Southern Cal on Saturday after beating Maryland-Eastern Shore three days earlier. 

Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. ET. The Tigers are the four-point favorite in the latest Clemson vs. Temple odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 133.5. Before locking in any Temple vs. Clemson picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,100 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has broken down Clemson vs. Temple. You can head to SportsLine to see the picks. Here are the college basketball odds and trends for Temple vs. Clemson:  

• Clemson vs. Temple spread: Tigers -4 
• Clemson vs. Temple over-under: 133.5 points 
• Clemson vs. Temple money line: Clemson -190, Temple +160
• CLEM: It is 19-13-1 after a win since 2019
• TEM: It is 15-11 after a loss since 2019

Why Clemson can cover

Clemson is 6-2 against the spread at neutral sites since 2019, and the offense has averaged almost 78 points in its first three games. Three different players have led the team in scoring, with Hunter Tyson scoring a game-high 22 on Monday. Al-Amir Dawes and PJ Hall also are averaging at least 14, with Tyson the leading scorer at 15.3. Guard David Collins also averages double figures at 10.3 points, and Nick Honor (9.7) joins him and Dawes in a strong backcourt.

The Tigers have a strong perimeter game, shooting 46.6 percent from 3-point range in the young season. Dawes has hit 10 of his 19 shots from outside, and Tyson has made 6-of-12. The 6-foot-10 Hall is expected to break out and leads the team with seven rebounds and adds one blocked shot per game. Clemson is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 non-conference games.   

Why Temple can cover

Temple is led by guard Khalif Battle, who is one the AAC’s top players. The sophomore was named third-team all-conference despite starting just four games last season. He scored 24 points against USC on Saturday and has made eight of his 16 3-pointers this year. Damian Dunn joins Battle in the backcourt and was one of the best young players in the conference last year. He is averaging 13 points so far.   

Battle and Dunn hit the boards hard, and 17 of their 18 rebounds have come on the defensive end. Nick Jourdain has 18 rebounds, 10 on the offensive glass, and the 6-foot-8 freshman has four blocked shots and notched three steals. Temple has 14 steals and 12 blocks in two games. Zach Hicks has hit five of his 10 3-pointers and is one of six players averaging at least 4.5 rebounds as Temple averages 43 per game. Temple is 3-2 ATS at neutral sites under Aaron McKie (since 2019).  

How to make Clemson vs. Temple picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the point total, with the model suggesting only three players will crack double figures. It also says one side of the spread is hitting in nearly 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the model’s Temple vs. Clemson pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Temple vs. Clemson on Thursday? And which side of the spread is hitting almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of Clemson vs. Temple to back Thursday, all from the advanced model up almost $2,100 on its top-rated college basketball picks over the past five seasons, and find out.