South Carolina Gamecocks vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Prediction, 3/9/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: South Carolina Gamecocks vs Mississippi State Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024

Location: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS

TV: SEC Network

Humphrey Coliseum is the location where the Mississippi State Bulldogs (19-11) will compete against the South Carolina Gamecocks (24-6) on Saturday.

The South Carolina Gamecocks faced off with Tennessee and went home with a loss by a final score of 66-59 in their last contest. South Carolina finished the game with a 38.3% field goal percentage (23 out of 60) and converted 8 of their 29 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Gamecocks knocked down 5 of 10 attempts for a rate of 50.0%. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 37 with 12 of them being offensive. They also recorded 11 assists for this contest while forcing 7 turnovers and having 4 steals. In reference to defense, South Carolina allowed the other team to go 35.7% from the field on 20 of 56 shooting. Tennessee earned 14 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. In addition, Tennessee collected 36 rebounds (10 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Tennessee ended up shooting 86.4% at the free throw line by making 19 of their 22 shots. They made 7 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc. In the matter of fouls, the Gamecocks ended up with 17 and Tennessee had 13 fouls.

Meechie Johnson is one guy who was a major factor in this matchup. He was able to score 18 points on 8 of 19 shooting. He played 30 minutes played and also collected 5 rebounds. He ended up going 42.1% from the floor and dished out 3 assists.

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South Carolina comes into this contest with a mark of 24-6 so far this year. They currently have an average of 71.6 pts per contest (243rd in D-1) while connecting on 43.9% from the field. The Gamecocks are shooting 34.0% on shots from 3-point land (248 of 730) and 71.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, South Carolina is pulling in 36.0 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 460 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 67th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 10.2 times per contest and as a group they are committing 15.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Gamecocks are forcing 9.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.2 personal fouls. They are surrendering 33.1% from 3-point land and they are 26th in college basketball in opponents points per game (65.6). The Gamecocks defense is allowing a FG percentage of 41.9% (705 of 1,683) and they surrender 32.4 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are ranked 51st in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 334 conceded for the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Mississippi State Bulldogs walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 75-69 when they faced Texas A&M. With respect to cleaning the glass, Mississippi State allowed Texas A&M to grab 31 overall (10 offensive). They finished 38.1% from three-point range by shooting 8 out of 21 and finished the contest at 15 out of 20 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Bulldogs permitted Texas A&M to convert 26 of 55 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 47.3% in this game. Overall, the Bulldogs finished the game shooting 28 for 57 from the floor which had them shooting 49.1%. With regard to shots from distance, Mississippi State buried 9 of their 29 attempts (31.0%). They were able to convert 4 of those for a rate of 57.1%. Texas A&M committed 9 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 7 attempts. They turned it over 12 times, while getting 6 steals in the matchup. The Bulldogs were able to corral 20 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 28 in this game.

Josh Hubbard ended up having an impact for the Bulldogs in this game. He knocked down 9 out of 23 in this matchup giving him a rate of 39.1%, but wasn't able to grab a rebound. He scored 24 points in his 32 mins of playing time and accounted for 3 assists for the game.

Mississippi State has a win-loss record of 19-11 for the campaign. The Bulldogs have committed 16.7 fouls per game and they go 66.8% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 14.5 times per game (99th in D-1) and they turn it over 12.9 times per contest. Mississippi State has accounted for 2,244 points for the campaign (74.8 per game) and they grab 38.7 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bulldogs are shooting 45.3% from the field, which ranks 142nd in college hoops.

The Mississippi State defense allows 29.3% on shots from beyond the arc (207 of 707) and their opposition knocks down 74.6% of their foul shots. They have allowed 11.3 assists and 32.5 boards every game, which is ranked 62nd and 60th in those defensive categories. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 90th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 68.9. They are able to force 12.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.6% from the floor (59th in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take South Carolina

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