2022 is the year of the Tiger according to the Chinese Zodiak. That must be a sign that this could finally be the year Bruce Pearl wins his first title at the Division I level with Auburn basketball.
This year’s squad looks more formidable than any other Auburn outfit in school history because of a frontline that looks certain to send multiple prospects to the 2022 NBA Draft. Jabari Smith has #1 pick hype already, but SEC Player of the Week Walker Kessler is turning heads after a 10-block triple-double in AU’s SEC opener against LSU.
Add in the intangible and typically timely scoring of Wendell Green Jr. and KD Johnson and across-the-board contributions on the wing from Allen Flanigan and Devan Cambridge, and you have yourself the most complete team in the conference…and possibly the nation.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s not overlook South Carolina. At 10-3, the Gamecocks men’s team is doing everything possible to keep pace with their nation-leading women’s team. Bruce Pearl certainly isn’t overlooking SC:
"“South Carolina is one of the better defensive and rebounding teams in our league. They average 14 1/2 offensive rebounds per game, which at times has been an issue for us. They are 11th (nationally) in field goal percentage defense. We managed to score 70 (points) vs. LSU, but that was hard.“If you slop through your offense against South Carolina, they won’t let you run it,” Pearl said. “They are going to let you enter it, they are going to make your catches difficult, ball pressure will bother you and they are very physical inside. We have got to be able to play through contact and make our free throws at a higher percentage, especially when you are on the road.”"
So with Pearl’s input about the matchup, let’s take a look at the Auburn basketball betting lines, odds, and TV information while laying a prediction on the line (all lines courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook):
South Carolina vs. Auburn basketball Odds, Spread and Total
Spread:
Auburn: -10.5 (-110)
South Carolina: +10.5 (-110)
Total:
145.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
South Carolina vs. Auburn Pick and Prediction
Based on Bruce Pearl’s prognosis, this could be a grind-it-out, physical matchup. It will depend on the Tigers’ ability to effectively stop the Gamecocks’ balanced scoring efforts. South Carolina has six scorers of over nine PPG.
In their last four games, Auburn has been consistently scoring around 70 points per game while holding opponents to less. If that holds here, expect an under hit.