South Carolina vs Tennessee NCAA Basketball Odds & Expert Pick

South Carolina vs Tennessee NCAA Basketball Odds & Expert Pick

Written by on February 13, 2019

Will the University of Tennessee lose again this regular season? The top-ranked Volunteers remain unbeaten in the SEC and carry a school-record winning streak into Wednesday’s game against South Carolina. UT is heavily favored at MyBookie Sportsbook to keep rolling.

How to Bet South Carolina vs Tennessee NCAA Basketball Odds & Game Info

Season Series

UT leads 1-0, winning 92-70 in Columbia on Jan. 29. Admiral Schofield scored scoring 20 of his 24 points in the second half to lead Tennessee. The Vols saw a double-digit lead cut to 60-58 with 13 minutes to play, but Jordan Bone scored five straight points and Schofield closed an 11-3 spurt with a 3-pointer to put Tennessee ahead 71-61.

Grant Williams added 23 points and Bone had 19 points and nine assists. Tennessee played without guard Jordan Bowden due to injury. Chris Silva had 28 points — only six the second half — and 10 rebounds for South Carolina, which fell to 1-13 all-time against No. 1 opponents.

Why Bet on South Carolina?

USC comes off a 77-65 home win over Arkansas on Saturday. The Gamecocks remain the SEC’s biggest surprise in fourth place after going 5-8 in nonconference play. Arkansas staged a big rally to take a 61-59 lead with six minutes left. But freshmen AJ Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant and senior Chris Silva helped South Carolina end the game on an 18-4 run. The Gamecocks made 16 of their last 22 shots. Arkansas forced 21 turnovers and had 13 steals but South Carolina neutralized its poor ball-handling by making 10 of 15 3-pointers.

Lawson finished with 24, one-point shy of matching his career-high. His eight field goals matched a career high for the fourth time and his four 3s marked a new career high. Lawson also had seven rebounds and three assists. Bryant exploded in the second half, scoring 15 of his 17 points thanks to 7-of-9 shooting. Silva finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes of action.

The Gamecocks, who shot 54.2 percent for the game (26-for-48), were 17-of-28 (60.7 percent) in the final 20 minutes. Carolina had just six turnovers in the second half after coughing the ball up 15 times in the first half. Silva and Lawson are both averaging 13.7 points per game, with Silva scoring 316 this season, and Lawson 314. The only other Gamecock in double figures is senior guard Hassani Gravett at 10.7 points per outing. In games against ranked opponents this season, Silva is averaging 17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 53.8 percent from the field.

Carolina has had some impressive late-game defensive stretches this season. Carolina held Arkansas scoreless the final 3:11, finishing the game on a 10-0 run. The Gamecocks held Florida without a made field goal in the final 7:17 of the SEC season-opening win in Gainesville, and Carolina held Auburn without a field goal the final 4:01 of the home win on Jan. 22.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 74.09
  • Field Goal Percentage: 43.27
  • Three-Point Percentage: 33.76
  • Free Throw Percentage: 69.47
  • Total Rebounds: 36.35
Defense
  • Total Score: 73.70
  • Field Goal Percentage: 41.93
  • Three-Point Percentage: 34.88
  • Free Throw Percentage: 73.94
  • Total Rebounds: 36.52

Why Bet on Tennessee?

UT won its school-record 18th in a row Saturday, 73-61 over Florida. Tennessee (22-1, 10-0 SEC) owns the longest active winning streak of any Division I team. This also marks the biggest winning streak of Rick Barnes’ 32-year head coaching career, surpassing the 17-game string that started Texas’ 2009-10 season. The home win also marked the 22nd victory in a row at Thompson-Boling Arena, which is the longest home win streak of the Barnes era.

The Big Orange’s streak in regular-season SEC games extends to a program-record of 14 games. UT is now 7-1 all-time as the AP’s top-ranked team. “They’re the best team in the country,” Florida coach Michael White said. “They’re equally as good defensively as they are offensively.”

South Carolina vs Tennessee should be an easy victory for the Vols.

Tennessee had four players score in double figures, with Grant Williams’ team-high 16 points leading the way to go along with a team-high six rebounds. Admiral Schofield, who also grabbed six boards, finished with 14 points.

The Vols have shot 50 percent or better 16 times this season and rank second in the country with a .516 field-goal percentage. Point guard Jordan Bone is directly responsible for 33.3 percent of Tennessee’s total scoring this season when you factor in his points scored and the points resulting from his assists. In SEC games, Tennessee averages a league-best 10.6 turnovers per game. The next closest team (Kentucky), averages 11.9 tpg.

Tennessee leads the all-time series with South Carolina, 45-27, dating to 1927. The Vols have won each of the last two meetings. The Vols have a 26-9 edge when the series is played in Knoxville.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Total Score: 85.43
  • Field Goal Percentage: 51.56
  • Three-Point Percentage: 36.41
  • Free Throw Percentage: 76.31
  • Total Rebounds: 38.04
Defense
  • Total Score: 67.30
  • Field Goal Percentage: 39.01
  • Three-Point Percentage: 32.14
  • Free Throw Percentage: 63.27
  • Total Rebounds: 33.74

South Carolina vs Tennessee NCAA Basketball Betting Trends

  • Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Tennessee
  • Favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings
  • Road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings
  • South Carolina is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tennessee
  • South Carolina is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games on the road
  • The total has gone OVER in 5 of South Carolina’s last 7 games on the road
  • Tennessee is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home
  • Tennessee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tennessee’s last 6 games at home

Expert NCAA Basketball Betting Prediction

Vols win, but they might be looking ahead to Kentucky on Saturday. Take the points.