NCAA Final Four Betting South Carolina Predictions

Posted by Eric Williams on Tuesday,March 28, 2017 2:40, EDT in

• NCAA Basketball News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

If you’re in love with the suddenly red-hot South Carolina Gamecocks and you’re thinking about betting on the seventh-seeded title contenders as they get set for Saturday’s Final Four matchup against top-seeded Gonzaga, then you need to gather as much expert information on the Gamecocks as possible.

Thanks to my expert college hoops betting breakdown on the Gamecocks, you’re going to be able to do just that. Now, let’s get started and find the latest NCAA basketball point spreads.

Analyzing The NCAA Final Four Betting South Carolina Gamecocks Predictions

Offense

Analysis: The South Carolina Gamecocks haven’t been the most offensively explosive team this season in putting up a modest 73.2 points per game and they don’t shoot it particularly well from the field, behind the arc – or at the free throw line as you can see from the above chart.

However, since the start of the NCAA Tournament, the Gamecocks have been a lot more efficient and won their first two tourney games by hanging a whopping 93 points on Marquette and an equally impressive 88 points on second-seeded Duke, so clearly, South Carolina can score the ball when they really need to.

Defense

Analysis: While South Carolina isn’t the most prolific scoring team offensively, the Gamecocks have been downright phenomenal on defense, just as they were in ranking 31st in points allowed, 15th in field goal defense and a fantastic eighth in defending the three-point shot. South Carolina limited Florida to 70 points in their Elite Eight matchup one game after putting the clamps on Baylor in their 70-50 smackdown in the round of 32.

The Starters

Chris Silva (10.2 ppg)
Maik Kotsar (5.9 ppg, 4.8 ppg)
PJ Dozier (13.8 ppg)
Duane Notice (10.2 ppg)
Sindarius Thornwell (21.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

Analysis: Four of South Carolina’s five starters average double figures in scoring and the Gamecocks have a legitimate superstar in Sindarius Thornwell. The senior shooting guard has scored at least 24 points in each of South Carolina’s four tourney games while averaging a stellar 25.7 points per game. P.J. Dozier and Duane Notice are excellent complimentary role players while Chris Silva shoots a blistering 54.1 percent from the field. The Gamecocks share the ball well, but when they need a basket, Thornwell has answered time and time again.

The Bench

Rakym Felder (5.6 ppg)
Justin McKie (4.1 ppg)
Hassani Gravett (3.3 ppg)
Sedee Keita (1.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg)

Analysis: Felder, McKie and Gravett all average double figures in minutes played and while it doesn’t look like they contribute much offensively, all three reserves has provided something positive in all four of their NCAA Tournament contests, like the fact that Felder shoots a blistering 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Neutral Site Games

South Carolina has won five of their seven neutral site games this season while averaging 72.7 points per game and allowing 65.0 points per contest defensively.

Coaching

Say what you want about the polarizing Frank Martin, but one thing you can’t say is that he can’t coach. Martin has gone 96-73 in five seasons at South Carolina but has recorded consecutive seasons of at least 25 wins the last two years. Martin also put Kansas State on the national map in his five years at the school while going 117-54 in five seasons. Martin has reached the NCAA Tournament five times in 10 seasons, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2009.

Intangibles

When it comes to intangibles, South Carolina has a ton of them. The Gamecocks have beaten two teams with outstanding offense and two more this tournament by shutting them down defensively. More importantly, the gamecocks now have the belief that they can beat anyone and a head coach that reinforces that belief in a big way. The Gamecocks have showed poise down the stretch in beating a pair of desperate teams in Duke and Florida and have  handful of players, starting with Thornwell, that clearly don’t get rattled no matter the situation.