Betsided

Tennessee vs. South Carolina Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, March 6 (Bet UNDER)

By Reed Wallach

Feb 24, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Jahmai Mashack (15) goes to the
Feb 24, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Jahmai Mashack (15) goes to the / Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

Tennessee continues its push for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday against upstart South Carolina, who stunned the Vols in Knoxville earlier in SEC play.

The Vols are propelled by Wooden Award candidate Dalton Knecht while South Carolina has been another story under head coach Lamont Paris, who has the Gamecocks far ahead of schedule in its expected rebuild.

Can Tennessee get it back against South Carolina, or does Paris and the Gamecocks have the answer for this potent Vols team?

Let's break it down with our best bet for Wednesday's matchup!

New Caesars Sportsbook users, sign up below and get a no-sweat first bet up to $1,000 when you sign up using the link below!

Tennessee vs. South Carolina Odds, Spread and Total

Carolina vs. Tennessee Betting Trends

  • South Carolina is 21-8 against the spread (ATS) this season
  • South Carolina is 11-2 ATS as an underdog this season
  • Tennessee has covered in seven of the last 10 games
  • Tennessee has gone OVER in 16 of 29 games this season

Tennessee vs. South Carolina How to Watch

  • Date: Wednesday, March 6th
  • Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
  • Venue: Colonial Life Arena
  • How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
  • Tennessee Record: 23-6
  • South Carolina Record: 24-5

Tennessee vs. South Carolina Key Players to Watch

Tennessee

Dalton Knecht: The Vols struggled on offense in the loss to South Carolina, but, like most games, Knecht didn't. The All-American is scored 31 of the team's 59 points, making 11-of-19 shots. Nobody can stay in front of Knecht, but can the rest of the Vols match the team's impact?

South Carolina

Meechie Johnson: Off back-to-back 20-plus outings, Johnson will look to play more of a role than he did in the upset win at Tennessee. While the rest of the team picked up the lead guard, Johnson struggled, scoring only three points but did dish out six assists. Can he fill up the stat sheet more in a season sweep?

Tennessee vs. South Carolina Prediction and Pick

I'm intrigued by the total in this game.

The first meeting closed 135.5 with the Vols being listed as 13.5-point favorites. Of course, the Gamecocks stunned Tennessee in Knoxville in a patented South Carolina rock fight, 63-59.

However, this total is five points higher at 140.5, likely due in part to the uptick in offense from both teams, each are playing at 35 levels on that side of the floor since the start of February, per Bart Torvik.

With that in mind, I still believe this game profiles as an under game. The Gamecocks are one of the slowest teams in the country and do an elite job of limiting teams from generating second chances, the second best SEC defensive rebounding rate in the conference.

I believe with the team's methodical pace and ability to limit the Vols work on the glass will make this game played in the 60's like the first game.

On the other side, South Carolina will hunt for the best shot, but will struggle against Tennessee's elite defense that has the on-ball chops to stop the likes of Jonson with lead guard Zakai Zeigler and aren't an elite three-point shooting team, right at the national average.

I'll go back to the well with the under yet again.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!

Home/College Basketball Predictions and Picks