Auburn vs. South Carolina Prediction and Odds

The South Carolina Gamecocks are prepping to defend their eight-game home winning streak when they host the No. 9 Auburn Tigers tonight. While SC is on a tear, they have yet to come up against a team as good as the Tigers this season. 

Auburn enters Tuesday tied for the lead in the SEC with a 12-1 record and is 1-0 in conference play after beating LSU 70-55 in their last game. One knock against Auburn early at this point in the year is whether they have been tested yet and if their strength of schedule warrants a top 10 ranking. The Tigers rank 54th on Ken Pomeroy’s strength of schedule list. So, they aren’t playing elite programs but they are certainly not playing scrubs either. For reference, the Gamecocks are 95th in those ratings. Here are the odds for this SEC showdown, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Auburn vs. South Carolina Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

• Auburn -9.5 (-110)
• South Carolina +9.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Auburn -490
• South Carolina +360

Total: 145.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Auburn vs. South Carolina and Pick

From what I have seen so far this year, the Auburn Tigers live and die with Walker Kessler. The sophomore center does not lead the team in scoring, but the big man does average 10 PPG, 7.5 RPG and shoots nearly 60 percent from the field. In the Tigers' recent win over LSU, Kessler went off with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 blocked shots. Thanks to Kessler, the Tigers now lead the nation in blocked shots per game at 8.2. 

Kessler's presence in the paint will be tough for SCAR to overcome with just one seven-footer on the roster. That player is Josh Gray but he is averaging just 14.2 minutes per game and 4.5 boards. The Gamecocks offense, averaging 75.3 PPG, is led by guard Jermain Couisinard with 11.3 PPG. He is one of three players including G Erick Stevenson and F Wildens Leveque that are averaging 10 PPG. 

South Carolina is a good team but they still have some work to do to compete with the best of the SEC. They are a poor FT shooting team at 66.5 percent and also struggle from behind the arc. Until they can solve those issues, they are just wasting an above-average offense and core of rebounders. 

This spread does have me second-guessing myself, but I think the Tigers have what it takes to win by double digits tonight. They are 10-3 ATS this season and have covered five times as favorites of 9.5 or more. Meanwhile, South Carolina has a 6-4-1 ATS record and I think doesn’t have the talent to keep pace with the TIgers here. 

Pick: Auburn Tigers -9.5 (-110)