Tale of The Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Clemson

Take a look at how the Cardinals stack up against the Tigers for their Tuesday matchup, and who the statistical models favor:
Jan 1, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA;  Louisville Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn (24) dribbles against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Drake Powell (9) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
Jan 1, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn (24) dribbles against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Drake Powell (9) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville (10-5, 3-1 ACC) is set to face Clemson (12-3, 4-0 ACC) on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 7:00 p.m. EST at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Here's how the Cardinals stack up against the Tigers:

*Mobile users can scroll left and right on the tables below*

Rankings

Clemson

Louisville

AP/USAT

RV/RV

NR/NR

SOS

34th

13th

SOR

38th

54th

BPI

27th

59th

NET

37th

40th

RPI

29th

22nd

KenPom

32nd

42nd

Torvik

38th

34th

EvanMiya

35th

43rd

Team Leaders

Clemson

Louisville

Points

Chase Hunter (17.3)

Chucky Hepburn (15.5)

Rebounds

Ian Schieffelin (10.8)

J'Vonne Hadley (7.7)

Assists

Jaeden Zackery (3.3

Chucky Hepburn (5.5)

Steals

Jaeden Zackery (2.2)

Chucky Hepburn (2.5)

Blocks

Viktor Lakhin (1.9)

James Scott (0.9)

Scoring

Clemson

Louisville

Points Per Game

78.5

77.8

Field Goal %

46.4%

43.0%

FGM/FGA Per Game

27.7/59.8

25.9/60.3

Three Point %

38.0%

29.8%

3PTM/3PTA Per Game

8.9/23.5

9.3/31.1

Free Throw %

78.2%

72.3%

FTM/FTA Per Game

14.1/18.1

16.7/23.1

Rebounding

Clemson

Louisville

Rebounds Per Game

35.8

38.7

Off. Reb. Per Game

11.5

12.9

Def. Reb. Per Game

24.3

25.7

Rebound Margin

3.4

5.4

Defense

Clemson

Louisville

Opp. Points Per Game

66.9

70.1

Opp. FG%

43.2%

44.2%

Opp. 3PT%

32.0%

34.3%

Steals Per Game

7.9

7.0

Blocks Per Game

3.6

3.1

Turnovers Forced Per Game

14.2

13.8

Ball Handling

Clemson

Louisville

Assists Per Game

14.6

13.5

Turnovers Per Game

10.7

11.7

Turnover Margin

3.5

2.1

Assist/Turnover Ratio

1.4

1.2

Predictions

ESPN Prediction: Per ESPN's Basketball Power Index, Louisville has a 42.4 percent chance to win against Clemson. The Cardinals have a BPI rating of 9.6 (59th overall), whereas the Tigers have a BPI rating of 14.5 (27th overall).

- KenPom Prediction: Per KenPom.com, the Cardinals have a 56 percent chance to take down the Tigers, with a projected final score of 72-71 in favor of UofL. Louisville has an adjusted efficiency margin of +16.77 (42nd overall), whereas Clemson has an adjusted efficiency margin of +19.21 (32nd overall).

- Torvik Prediction: Per BartTorvik.com, the Cards have a 66 percent chance to take down the Tigers, with a projected final score of 72-68 in favor of UofL. Louisville has a "Barthag" of .8722 (34th overall), whereas Clemson has a "Barthag" of .8670 (38th overall).

- Personal Prediction: Louisville 75, Clemson 72.

(Photo of Chucky Hepburn: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic