Clemson, which beat fellow 12 seed UAB on Tuesday night, will face the fifth seed in the East Region, West Virginia, tomorrow in Tampa, Florida. The ACC/Big East clash is scheduled to tip off at 12:15pm ET at the St Pete Times Forum; coverage of the event will be provided by CBS. College Basketball Lines have the Mountaineers listed as a slight -1.5 college basketball picks favorite and the Over/Under set at 123.5.
Clemson wasted little time rebounding from its heartbreaking 87-92 ACC tournament loss to North Carolina as it defeated 
UAB 70-52 on Tuesday night to earn a shot at West Virginia.
The Tigers, one of the two 12 seeds that participated in a first round play in game under the new 68 team format, shot 52 percent from the field (26-of-50) and 87.5 percent from the free throw (14-of-16) in besting the Blazers. Clemson got just seven points from leading scorer Demontez Stitt, but a 22 point night from Jerai Grant removed any would be sting from the senior's off night.
Devin Booker, Tanner Smith, and Milton Jennings also scored in double figures to help Clemson garner its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1997.
West Virginia, which placed seventh in the Big East this year with an 11-7 conference record, comes into tomorrow's game off a 61-67 loss to Marquette in the Big East tournament. The Golden Eagles hit 5-of-11 from three point range in beating Bob Huggins' squad, which connected on just 20 of its 51 field goal attempts.
West Virginia's leading scorer, Casey Mitchell (14.1 ppg), scored nine points off the bench against the Eagles. Mitchell has scored just 31 points in the Mountaineers last four games.
Prior to its loss against Marquette, West Virginia had won three straight games, beating Rutgers, Connecticut, and Louisville by an average of 7.3 points per game.
The Mountaineers, which reached the Final Four last year, are 5-1 in their last six first round games. West Virginia's last opening round exit came in 2009 when it fell 60-68 to the Dayton Flyers.
Clemson vs West Virginia 2011 NCAA Bracket Predictions:
Clemson Tigers +1.5 (-110), Over 123.5 (-110)
West Virginia Mountaineers -1.5 (-110), Under 123.5 (-110)
