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Oregon vs. South Carolina Prediction, Odds and Key Players for NCAA Tournament First Round (Back the Gamecocks)

College basketball betting preview, prediction and best bet for Oregon-South Carolina.

By Shelby Dermer

South Carolina Gamecocks guard Meechie Johnson (5) attempts a basket while being guarded by Auburn.
South Carolina Gamecocks guard Meechie Johnson (5) attempts a basket while being guarded by Auburn. / Alan Poizner/For The Tennessean / USA
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After missing the tournament for two straight years, Oregon was one of the proverbial bid stealers after running the table for the Pac-12 Tournament title. The Ducks swiped a March Madness spot to earn a No. 11 seed and are small underdogs against No. 6 South Carolina in the first round in Pittsburgh.

South Carolina, an ATS darling this year, won just one game in the SEC Tournament but had already racked up a solid resume by the time it lost to Auburn in the quarterfinals on Friday. Who comes out on top of this first-round matchup? Here’s the betting preview for the matchup with a best bet. 

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Oregon vs. South Carolina Odds, Spread and Total

Oregon vs. South Carolina Betting Trends

  • Oregon is 16-18 ATS this season
  • South Carolina is 23-10 ATS this season
  • Oregon is 7-3 ATS as an underdog this season
  • South Carolina is 11-6 ATS as a favorite this season
  • The OVER is 20-14 in Oregon games this season
  • The OVER is 15-17-1 in South Carolina games this season

Oregon vs. South Carolina How to Watch

  • Date: Thursday, March 21 
  • Game time: 4 p.m. EST
  • Venue: PPG Paints Arena
  • How to watch (TV): TNT
  • Oregon  record: 23-11
  • South Carolina record: 26-7

Oregon vs. South Carolina Key Players to Watch

Oregon

N’Faly Dante: Limited to just 20 games this season, Dante was at full health and at his best to lead the Ducks to their first Pac-12 Tournament title since 2019. Dante was perfect from the field (12-for-12) in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game against Colorado, leading Oregon to a 75-68 win with 25 points and 9 rebounds. 

South Carolina 

Meechie Johnson: The junior guard is the Gamecocks’ leading scorer at 13.8 points per game but is shooting less than 40% from the field. He’ll try to bounce back after a recent shooting spell. Over the last three games, Johnson is just 8-of-36 from the field and was held to just 9 combined points in two SEC Tournament games. 

Oregon vs. South Carolina Prediction and Pick 

Dante was dominant in the Pac-12 Tournament, but South Carolina can match Oregon blow-for-blow near the bucket. South Carolina is a top-50 defense in defending shots from inside the arc and are No. 53 in effective field goal percentage.

South Carolina’s defense helped the Gamecocks cover 23 of 33 games this season and can force misses against an Oregon offense that is middle-of-the-road in most major shooting metrics. Defensively, Oregon wreaks havoc by causing turnovers, but South Carolina can protect the rock (No. 72 in turnover percentage). 

If South Carolina gets clean looks as expected, the Gamecocks can advance against an Oregon defense that relies on takeaways as the No. 227 team against 3 - and 2-point shots. South Carolina has been favorable to backers this season and that doesn’t stop on the game’s biggest stage. Go with the Gamecocks as a short favorite.

Pick: South Carolina -1 

Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.

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