Tennessee vs South Carolina Odds, Picks and Predictions: Gamecocks Earn Some Respect

The No. 4 ranked Tennessee Volunteers have their SEC regular season title hopes in their own hands after the Alabama Crimson Tide fell to Florida.

A Wednesday night victory over the No. 17 South Carolina Gamecocks would likely give the Volunteers the SEC title. Still, the Gamecocks are 14-2 at home and riding a three-game winning streak. They are one game behind Tennessee in the conference standings and won’t roll over for the higher-ranked Vols. 

Can the Volunteers avenge their January loss to the Gamecocks? Join me as I look closer at the college basketball odds with free college basketball picks for Tennessee and South Carolina on Wednesday, March 6.

Tennessee vs South Carolina best odds

Tennessee vs South Carolina picks and predictions

The South Carolina Gamecocks have been underestimated since being picked to finish dead last in most of the SEC preseason polls. Tonight, the Gamecocks are as many as +5.5-point underdogs in their barn on Senior Night, which can’t sit well with South Carolina, especially after upsetting the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville by four points on January 30.

South Carolina was a 14-point away dog in their last meeting. They played exceptional defense that night, holding the Vols to 23% shooting from downtown, and beat them on the glass to secure a hard-fought victory.

The January win over Tennessee was the first time the Gamecocks beat the Volunteers in four years. Their stop unit was a force and they beat the Vols to the glass, but they shot poorly themselves and will need a better team effort on the offensive end of the floor just to cover the spread.

The Gamecocks' scoring unit has been inconsistent this season — they average 72.1 per night overall, which balloons to 74.7 when playing at home. The combination of a more confident South Carolina offense when playing at home and the conference's best defense will give the Gamecocks the opportunity to cover the number.

But it won’t be easy. Tennessee is playing like a team on a six-game winning streak. They are coming off a huge upset away win as +4 underdogs against Alabama and have won four of their last five away tilts. Their defense is elite, as they lead the SEC with an absurd 38% opponent FG% and have held teams to under 60 points in four of their past six tilts.

But South Carolina wins games and covers at Colonial Life Arena — they are 14-2 as the home team and have covered the spread in 10 of their 16 home tilts. They meet a Tennessee team that is 7-3 in the visiting jerseys but 4-6-0 against the number, although they are 3-2-0 ATS over their past five away contests.

Finally, while Tennessee has the motivation to win this game, so does South Carolina. Both programs fought hard in their last meeting, and I expect the same type of contest tonight. The difference between the January meeting and tonight is that I expect the Gamecocks to shoot the ball much better than they did before while their stop unit comes through big-time to cover the +5.5-point spread.

My best bet: South Carolina +5.5 (-110 at Caesars)

Tennessee vs South Carolina same-game parlay

South Carolina +5.5

Over 140

+282 at Caesars

I like this two-leg same-game parlay, paying $282 for a $100 wager, and it correlates well with the best bet as both teams are much better shooters than they displayed in their previous meeting.

Neither team shot over 36% from the floor in their first encounter, but we should expect these two hungry teams — each seeking a SEC regular-season title — to shoot closer to the 45% from the field both programs usually shoot. Tennessee’s faster tempo will increase the possessions and this one should end Over the number. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Tennessee vs South Carolina spread and Over/Under analysis

Tennessee has dominated their series with South Carolina, and it makes sense they opened as low as a -4.5 favorite. They are 8-2 overall and 7-3-0 ATS over their last 10 of this series, but this is the best group South Carolina has put on the floor in years, and it showed when they beat the Volunteers in Knoxville.

The public hammered the number everywhere it was posted, and it now sits at -5.5 everywhere, with the juice ranging from -106 to -115. 

Our consensus picks loved the Vols -4.5, but interest shifted away from Tennessee at -5 and higher. That bodes well for the Gamecocks to cover the number, as they have in 10 of their 16 home matchups. 

The 139.5 total is the lowest on the boards, but the juice is anywhere from -110 to -115 for Over bettors. We have seen some slight movement from some Under 140 (EV) bettors, but it’s ping-ponging from 139.5 at its lowest. That’s still well above where the game closed in their last meeting (135.5), with the outcome in their previous meeting ending well Under the total. 

Tennessee vs South Carolina betting trend to know

The Gamecocks are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as a home underdog. Find more college basketball betting trends for Tennessee vs. South Carolina.

Tennessee vs South Carolina game info

Tennessee vs South Carolina key injuries

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