The South Carolina Gamecocks (8-0) play the Drexel Dragons (1-6) at Colonial Life Arena. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 15 and will air on ES3.
The Gamecocks won big over South Florida 81-63 the last time they played. Michael Carrera was the game’s high scorer with 19 points on 5-for-11 shooting. The Dragons are coming off a 66-53 win over La Salle in their last outing. Tavon Allen led the game in scoring with 25 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
South Carolina is a considerable 17-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is 146 points. The Gamecocks are attempting to build on their records of 8-0 Straight Up (SU) and 5-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Gamecocks have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire nation, averaging 83.8 points per game. The Gamecocks have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 40th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 41.8 per game, while the Dragons rank 211th in the nation with 36.6 per game. Turning to the defensive side, teams have to fight for open shots against the Gamecocks, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .386. Expect South Carolina to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Dragons, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the nation with an average of 23.7 fouls per game.
On the other side, Drexel has a SU record of 1-6 and an ATS record of 2-4. Drexel’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents making only 5.0 shots from the three-point line per game.
South Carolina and Drexel have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – SC, ATS Winner – SC, O/U – Over
Notes
South Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
South Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
South Carolina scores 83.8 points per home game (ranked 94th). Drexel ranks a poor 136th in points allowed on the road, allowing 73.3 points.
Ranked 66th, the South Carolina Gamecocks have an offensive rating of 112.9. The Drexel Dragons rank 281st with a defensive rating of just 107.4.
The South Carolina Gamecocks average 74.2 possessions and 1.129 points per possession in games this season. The Drexel Dragons average fewer possessions with 67.0, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.017.
Drexel has an average effective field goal percentage of 45.8%. South Carolina is undefeated (4-0) when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
South Carolina attempts an average of 17.0 three pointers per game and Drexel attempts 15.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the South Carolina Gamecocks are undefeated at 3-0 while the Drexel Dragons are winless at 0-1.
South Carolina ranks 66th in blocks per game with 4.9 and Drexel ranks 97th with 4.4 blocks per game.
South Carolina ranks 37th in offensive rebounding. Drexel ranks 263rd in defensive rebounding.
The South Carolina Gamecocks average 8.0 steals per game. The Drexel Dragons are undefeated at 1-0 when they allow at least 8 steals.
