Tennessee vs. South Carolina Odds
| Tennessee Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 136.5 -110o / -110u | -350 |
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 136.5 -110o / -110u | +260 |
South Carolina looks to get revenge after its 66-46 loss against Tennessee three weeks ago.
The Gamecocks have started to show some improvement in conference play, winning three of their last four games. With a Frank Martin team, you can always count on the defensive intensity to be top-notch.
South Carolina will look to improve its resume with a signature win over Tennessee.
The Volunteers have has something of a split personality this season. The group is undefeated at home, winning by an average margin of 21 points per game. But on the road, the unit is just 3-6 and getting outscored by three points per contest.
Will Tennessee’s road struggles doom it from covering as a double-digit favorite?
Tennessee Volunteers
The home and road splits for the Volunteers this season are truly amazing. Tennessee has scored 13 fewer points per game on the road than it does in Knoxville. The defense has also taken a hit, allowing opponents to score 12 more points on the road than at the Thompson-Boling Arena.
That has led the Volunteers to a 3-6 record on the road this season.
Defensively the group is elite, owning the eighth-best defensive efficiency ranking in the country. The group thrives at creating turnovers, forcing them on 25% of opponent possessions to rank seventh nationally. That was key in the first matchup, as South Carolina coughed the ball up 23 times.
The offense shares the ball well, assisting on 63% of made field goals, which is good for top-10 in the country. The Vols take a boatload of shots from beyond the arc but convert at only a 33% clip (180th). Santiago Vescovi is the main sniper for the squad and has hit 39% of his 162 3-point attempts this season.
The volume of outside shot attempts has led Tennessee to grab offensive rebounds on 33% of its misses. But scoring inside the perimeter has been a struggle for the group, as it shoots just 51% from 2, ranking 106th nationally.
South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina is 13-8 on the season after winning three of its last four conference matchups thanks to its defense. The Gamecocks held opponents to just over 63 points per game in those three victories.
The defense has been the one consistent key within the program. The group ranks 30th in defensive efficiency this season and has forced turnovers on 23% of defensive possessions.
The Gamecocks have held opponents to 46% shooting, including a mark of only 31% from beyond the arc. Defending the perimeter will be huge in this matchup, as 43% of Tennessee shot attempts come from deep.
Martin utilizes his bench at the fifth-highest rate in the country to keep the defensive pressure high all game long. No player averages more than 26 minutes per game, with 11 players seeing the court for 10-plus minutes. That makes for a well-balanced scoring attack that sees six players average between seven and 11 points per game.
Erik Stevenson and James Reese V hold it down as the team's top two scorers. The two have each taken over 100 3-point attempts and connected on a combined 34%.
Tennessee vs. South Carolina Betting Pick
The home and road splits for Tennessee can’t be overstated. The group has won all 12 of its games by an average of 21 points per contest at home. On the road the Vols are just 3-6 and being outscored by an average of three points per contest.
One of the biggest factors for that is how Tennessee has shot from the perimeter. During its nine away games, the group has converted on 60-of-228 shots from beyond the arc for an average of 26%. While at home, it's converted 38% of its 330 3-point attempts.
In the first matchup between these two teams, South Carolina’s defense did its job. It held Tennessee to 43% from the field and 66 points. But the Gamecocks offense was horrid, scoring 46 points while shooting 35% from the field. The team hit just 6-of-17 from the charity stripe (35%) and coughed the ball up 23 times.
South Carolina couldn’t have played worse, and it was still competitive for most of the game before Tennessee ran away with it late. Now, the home court will switch in this matchup, and we see the mortal side of this Tennessee program.
If South Carolina wants to have any hope of making the tournament, it needs to pick up some marquee victories down the stretch. What better opportunity than against a Tennessee program that has proven to be vulnerable on the road?
Pick: South Carolina +7.5 (Play to +6)
