A 16-game home winning streak hangs in the balance for the South Carolina Gamecocks (20-3) when they meet the LSU Tigers (15-8). The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Gamecocks barely escaped Texas A&M 81-78 on Saturday. Sindarius Thornwell was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting. The Tigers, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-77 win over Mississippi State on Saturday. Antonio Blakeney led the game in scoring by accumulating 31 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
Over the last five games, Michael Carrera has been playing at a high level for the Gamecocks. During that stretch, he has averaged 21.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.6 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 2.6 three-pointers.
The Gamecocks come into this game 20-3 Straight Up (SU) and 15-5 Against The Spread (ATS). South Carolina has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 19 made free throws per game, which is 12th-best in Division I. South Carolina is known to control the offensive glass, where it racks up an impressive 14.4 offensive rebounds per game. South Carolina’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 73.8 during that span, compared to its 68.2 season average.
Across the court, the Tigers have a 15-8 SU record, but have struggled ATS with an 8-14 record. During the last 10 games, they averaged 72.6 PPG, below their 81.3 PPG season average. The Tigers rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 46th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.34. Moving on to the LSU defense, teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Tigers, who rank 41st in the nation with 7.7 steals per game.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference rivals. The last time they played, LSU came out on top, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 6-4. The Tigers also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1. LSU has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last five matchups. South Carolina has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – SC, ATS Winner – SC
Notes
“South Carolina is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“South Carolina is 20-3 SU in its last 23 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of South Carolina’s last 7 games “.
“South Carolina is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“South Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of South Carolina’s last 5 games at home”.
“South Carolina is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing LSU”.
“South Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing LSU”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of South Carolina’s last 7 games when playing LSU”.
“South Carolina is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against LSU”.
“South Carolina is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against LSU”.
South Carolina sits at 7-3 SU against its conference, while LSU is 8-2 SU.
LSU is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 81.3 points per game (ranked 22nd). South Carolina allows 68.2 points per game (ranked 84th).
LSU scores 74.3 points per away game (ranked 67th). South Carolina ranks a poor 109th in points allowed at home, allowing 66.8 points.
LSU beats South Carolina in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Tigers average 73.3 possessions and 1.109 points per possession, while the Gamecocks average 72.0 possessions with 1.074 points per possession.
The South Carolina Gamecocks average an effective field goal percentage of 48.9% this season. The LSU Tigers have a winning 9-4 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 48.9% or greater.
On average, the South Carolina Gamecocks attempt 17.0 three point field goals per game and the LSU Tigers attempt 18.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, South Carolina has a formidable 7-1 record, while LSU is 4-6.
LSU ranks 46th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.34. South Carolina is ranked lower at 244th with an A/TO of .95.
South Carolina, the seventh-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 42.0 rebounds per game. LSU ranks 58th with 39.1.
LSU ranks 140th in offensive rebounds, while South Carolina ranks at 50th in defensive rebounds.
On average, LSU forces a turnover rate of 19.1%. When South Carolina turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a superb 10-3 record.
