The South Carolina Gamecocks (24-6) travel to face off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (19-11) on Saturday, March 9th. This game will be played at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville and televised on SECN. Both South Carolina and Mississippi State will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 ET.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs Mississippi State Bulldogs
The South Carolina Gamecocks Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
South Carolina has been a much better team at home this season, going 16-3 compared to 8-3 on the road. They are currently on a two-game road winning streak, and over their last 10 games away from home, they are 7-3. On the year, they have been the underdog in 14 of their 30 games, going 10-4.
Most recently, the Gamecocks lost to Tennessee, 66-59. Over their last five games on the road, they are 4-1, and their average scoring margin this season on the road is -1.4 points per game.
As the underdog, South Carolina has an ATS record of 11-3 this season and an overall ATS mark of 21-9. On the road, the Gamecocks have gone 9-2 vs. the spread this year and are 8-2 in their last 10 road games. In their last 3 road games, South Carolina is 2-1 vs. the spread.
South Carolina’s over/under record for the season is 14-16 and today’s line of 133.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games this year (139.7). So far, 10 of their games have finished with less points than today’s line. Over their last three games, their games have averaged 140 points compared to their season average of 137.3 points per game.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Mississippi State will look to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts South Carolina. The Bulldogs are 19-11 overall, including an 8-9 record in Southeastern Conference play.
At home, Mississippi State is 13-3 this season, and it has gone 4-1 in its last five games at home. The Bulldogs have an average scoring margin of +9.8 points per game at home.
Mississippi State’s ATS record this season is 14-15-1, including an 8-7-1 mark at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Bulldogs are just 4-5-1 vs. the spread.
Today’s over/under line of 133.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Mississippi State games this season (141.1). Over their last three games, the Bulldogs’ games have averaged 154 points compared to their season average of 143.7 points per game. For the season, their over/under record is 14-15-1.
South Carolina Offense Breakdown
Most recently, the South Carolina offense finished with just 59 points vs. Tennessee. For the game, they hit 8/30 three-point attempts and a field goal percentage of 37.7%. Meechie Johnson Jr. was the leading scorer for the Gamecocks, putting up 18 points. In addition, Collin Murray-Boyles contributed 11 points.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meechie Johnson Jr. (G) | 14.3 | 4.2 | 3.0 |
| B.J. Mack (F) | 13.1 | 4.6 | 1.3 |
| Ta’lon Cooper (G) | 9.9 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
Mississippi State Offense Breakdown
The Mississippi State offense is coming off a game in which they scored 69 points vs. Texas A&M. Overall their field goal percentage was 49.1% while connecting on 9 threes. Leading the team in scoring is Josh Hubbard, who is averaging 16.4 heading into today’s matchup. Additionally, Tolu Smith also maintains a PPG average of 16.4 heading into game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Hubbard (G) | 16.4 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
| Tolu Smith (F) | 16.4 | 8.1 | 1.2 |
| Cameron Matthews (F) | 9.3 | 6.9 | 2.8 |
South Carolina Team Defense
At present, the Gamecocks’ defense is nationally ranked 26th, allowing 65.6 points per game. The South Carolina defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 66 points and allowed Tennessee to connect on 8 threes.
Mississippi State Team Defense
So far, the Bulldogs’ defense is ranked 89th in the country at 68.9 points per contest. On average, opposing teams are hitting 6.9 threes per game vs. South Carolina. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 28.7%.
Gamecocks vs Bulldogs Trends
- Although South Carolina has a straight up record of 7-3 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 8-2. The team averaged 66 points per game in these games.
- Across their five previous home games, Mississippi State has an ATS mark of 2-3. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-3 while averaging 72 points per game.
- South Carolina has done well both straight up and vs the spread as the underdog, going 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three games.
- Mississippi State has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three games.
Gamecocks vs Bulldogs Prediction
Not only do we have the Bulldogs winning this one by a score of 76-69, but we see them covering the spread. Our pick is to grab the Bulldogs at -4.5.
As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 133.5 and our model has the Gamecocks and Bulldogs finishing with a combined 145 points. Our pick is to take the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:March 9, 2024 Mississippi State Bulldogs, South Carolina Gamecocks