Teams looking to turn around their fortunes meet when the Mississippi State Bulldogs battle the South Carolina Gamecocks in SEC action on Tuesday. The Bulldogs (13-8, 1-7 SEC), who have lost eight of their past 10 games, have not won a conference game since defeating Ole Miss 64-54 on Jan. 7. The Gamecocks (8-13, 1-7), who have lost six of seven, defeated Kentucky 71-68 on Jan. 10 for their lone SEC win. Mississippi State has won eight of the last 11 matchups with South Carolina.
The game from Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C., will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET. MSU is averaging 65.6 points per game, while South Carolina averages 64.3. The Bulldogs are 9.5-point favorites in the latest Mississippi State vs. South Carolina odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 126. Before locking in any South Carolina vs. Mississippi State picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 13 of the season 50-29 on all-top rated college basketball picks, returning more than $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on MSU vs. South Carolina and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for South Carolina vs. MSU:
- Mississippi State vs. South Carolina spread: Mississippi State -9.5
- Mississippi State vs. South Carolina over/under: 126 points
- Mississippi State vs. South Carolina money line: Mississippi State -480, South Carolina +360
- MSST: The Under is 5-0 in the Bulldogs' last five games following a straight-up win
- SC: The Under is 7-0 in the Gamecocks' last seven home games against a team with a losing road record
- Mississippi State vs. South Carolina picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why South Carolina can cover
Senior guard Chico Carter Jr., who has started all 20 games for the Gamecocks, is averaging 11 points, two rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He is connecting on 49.1% of his field goals, including 48.9% from 3-point range. Carter has scored 12 points in back-to-back games and in three of the past four. He had a season-high 26 points in a 69-60 loss to Davidson on Nov. 18, and has reached 20 or more points in two games.
Also helping power South Carolina is senior Hayden Brown, a sixth-year senior transfer from The Citadel. He is coming off his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the loss at Georgia on Saturday. He has scored in double figures in 11 games on the year. He averages 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and one steal per game.
Why Mississippi State can cover
Redshirt senior forward Tolu Smith leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 14.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He is connecting on 57.7% of his field goals, and dishes out 1.8 assists. Smith has started 71 of 72 career games at Mississippi State and has scored 10 or more points in 52 of them. He has reached 20 or more points in 14 career games, including 27 points and 13 rebounds in the upset win over TCU on Saturday.
Senior guard Dashawn Davis is coming off a 16-point effort against TCU, where he connected on 54.5% of his field goals and 50% of his free throws. For the season, Davis is connecting on 39.8% of his field goals, including a blistering 42.9% from 3-point range. He has reached double-figure scoring in six games. His best effort was an 18-point performance in a 52-49 win over Utah on Nov. 23.
How to make Mississippi State vs. South Carolina picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 130 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins South Carolina vs. Mississippi State? And which side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
