South Carolina vs Ole Miss SEC Tournament | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

Huge game for sixth-seeded Ole Miss in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday against No. 11 South Carolina as the Rebels are right on the NCAA Tournament bubble, so an upset loss to the Gamecocks would be devastating. Ole Miss is favored, however, on the NCAAB odds and is +2000 to win the SEC Tournament while USC is +15000.

How to Bet South Carolina vs. Ole Miss NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

• When: Thursday, 9 PM ET
• Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
• TV: SEC Network
• Stream: ESPN app
• Radio:  Tunein.com
• Opening NCAAB Lines: Ole Miss -7

Last Meeting

On Feb. 13, South Carolina hosted Ole Miss and lost 81-74. Devontae Shuler had a career-high 31 points for the Rebels – he’s from the state of South Carolina. Romello White finished with 14 points (5 of 9 FG) and five boards, while KJ Buffen added 12 points and four boards coming off the bench. Ole Miss shot 50 percent (22 of 44) from the floor as a unit and scored a season-high 34 points from the free throw line on 44 attempts. Ole Miss leads the series 22-20.

Why Bet on South Carolina? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

This could be the final game as South Carolina coach for Frank Martin with his team a disappointing 6-14 overall. The Cocks lost their regular-season finale 92-64 at Kentucky on Saturday. Martin currently has two years left on his current contract. Martin hasn’t had any discussions with the Gamecocks’ administration about his contract status yet, which isn’t atypical. Those talks, he said, usually come after the season ends. Martin is set to earn $3.2 million in 2021-22 and $3.3 million in 2022-23. This will not be the first time he has coached with two year left on his contract at South Carolina.

Martin’s had success at South Carolina, taking the Gamecocks to their first tournament in 13 years with the team’s run to the Final Four in 2017, but hasn’t been back to the dance since then. South Carolina hasn’t made the NIT since that run, either. This season has resulted in three separate pauses in team activity due to covid-19 health and safety protocols, most of which took away the entire month of December. Seven games were canceled as a result. Martin has tested positive twice since last May.

Junior guard AJ Lawson was named Second Team All-SEC.  It is the second-career postseason honor for Lawson, who was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2019.  > Lawson enters SEC Tournament action this week averaging a team high 16.9 points per game, while also collecting 4.1 rebounds, dishing out 1.3 assists and collecting 1.5 steals per game.  His points per game rank fourth in the SEC (overall games), and his steals per outing is tied for 10th in the league.

Lawson has made his mark beyond the arc this season, as his 35.6 percent from range is second in the league, and his 163 career 3-pointers ranks eighth in Carolina history.

South Carolina is 21-28 (.428) all-time in SEC Tournament games entering the 2021 event.  Carolina’s last Tournament win came in 2018, posting an 85-84 win over Ole Miss in the opening round.   Carolina owns a 5-4 advantage in Tournament matchups vs. the Rebels.

Why Bet on Ole Miss? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

The Rebels are 15-10 overall and 10-8 in the SEC and generally considered among the “last 4 out” for the NCAA Tournament, so they can’t lose this game.

They closed the regular season with a 56-46 home win over Vanderbilt on Saturday, leading by as many as 25. Jarkel Joiner scored a team-high 15 points to pace Ole Miss on the offensive end. White also reached double figures with 11 points, adding four rebounds as well as two blocks. Freshman Matthew Murrell tallied eight points, tying his most in an SEC game, to go along with four rebounds and two steals.

Ole Miss held the Commodores to 46 points, their lowest output in the series since Jan. 21, 1981 (Ole Miss won 46-44 in Oxford). The Rebels improved to 11-0 this season when keeping opponents under 40 percent from the floor. Ole Miss held an opponent to 50 points or less for the sixth time this season. The Rebels have limited four SEC opponents to 50 points or less for the first time since 1948.

Devontae Shuler earned First Team All-SEC honors by the conference coaches. He paces the team with 15.6 points per game, and his 3.3 assists per game are also a team high. Shuler is one of only two players in the SEC to rank in the conference’s top 10 in scoring (10th), assists (8th) and steals (9th); Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr. is the other player.

Ole Miss led the SEC in scoring defense (65.4), rebounding defense (31.7), defensive rebounding percentage (.721) and offensive rebounding percentage (.341) during conference play.

Kermit Davis has won four conference tournament championships as a head coach but none at Ole Miss.

Expert NBA Prediction

Ole Miss 72, South Carolina 68

 

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