LSU vs South Carolina Odds & Pick: The Team Total to Bet

Let's take a look at the LSU Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks odds and make a pick for Saturday's SEC college basketball showdown.

No. 11 South Carolina and LSU both look to get back on track Saturday afternoon in a pivotal SEC game in Columbia.

The Gamecocks had their seven-game winning streak come to an end in a midweek loss at No. 13 Auburn, but they are still in the race for the SEC title. Meanwhile, the Tigers have struggled this season, losing six of their last seven to find themselves toward the bottom of the league standings.

This should be a matchup between two teams desperate for a win, which should give us a great contest at the Colonial Life Arena.

After winning three of the first four in conference play, there was optimism for coach Matt McMahon's team. However, LSU has only won once since that start.

Even with the poor record, the Tigers have been competitive. They have three SEC losses by a combined eight points, which includes the defeat at Florida on Tuesday.

On offense, everything for LSU runs through Jordan Wright. The Vanderbilt transfer leads the team and ranks 13th in the conference in scoring at 15 points per game.

The defensive end of the floor has been plagued by their struggles to rebound. On the year, the Tigers rank outside the top 300 in defensive rebounding. That doesn't bode well in a conference that has seven teams that rank inside the top 65 in the country in grabbing offensive rebounds.

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If you voted on the coach of the year right now, there is no question Lamont Paris would be high on the list both in the SEC and nationally.

South Carolina jumped to No. 11 in both major polls this week, which marks the highest the Gamecocks have been ranked since the 1997-98 campaign. Before the loss at Auburn, the run of seven straight SEC wins was the longest streak for the school since the program’s 1996-97 SEC Championship campaign.

One of the keys to the turnaround has been how well Paris did at pulling in experienced transfers from the portal. He brought in Stephen Clark (The Citadel), Ta’Lon Cooper (Minnesota), B.J. Mack (Wofford) and Myles Stute (Vanderbilt), who have played 430 career games combined.

Once you add in star Meechie Johnson Jr. to that list, Paris has a team primed for a run in March.

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After the sizable defeat against Auburn, I think this is a great spot to back South Carolina. I like multiple ways of attacking this game, but there is one bet that stands out.

My best bet is for LSU to fall under its team total at 66 or better.

In SEC play, the Gamecocks have played six games at home. Only one of those opponents was able to go over this same total. South Carolina is holding opponents to an average of 64.5 points per game at home in league action, which includes giving up just 62 points to Kentucky.

I also believe Paris’ team is going to get off to a hot start and cover the first-half spread. I wouldn’t play it any higher than -4, however.

The Gamecocks have held the lead at halftime in five of six home SEC contests, and they also own a +7.9 average first-half margin at home across the season. Meanwhile, LSU is losing on average by 6.8 points at the break for the year, a trend that has carried over into league play. The Tigers have been down at halftime in every road SEC game, and with how hungry the Gamecocks should be, I could see that happening again.

Pick: LSU Team Total Under 66 or Better