The SEC Conference Tournament is one of the most competitive and exciting in the country.
The top four teams advanced straight to the quarterfinals, so today we look at a South Carolina team that surprisingly earned a bye agains an Auburn team coming off a convincing second-round win.
Let’s take a deep dive on Auburn-South Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET) in the SEC quarterfinals.
Betting Odds: Auburn Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
- Spread: Auburn -8
- Over/Under: 147
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
Auburn (23-9) is coming off an 81-71 win over Missouri in the second round of the SEC Tournament. The Tigers covered by a half point, but have been very average against the spread. Auburn is 14-12-2 ATS including just 5-8-1 on the road.
South Carolina (16-15) enjoyed a surprisingly successful season, earning the No. 4 seed in the tournament at 11-7 in conference play. The Gamecocks are 14-13 ATS this season but 5-0 ATS in the last five games against Auburn.
These two teams met on Jan. 22, and South Carolina won 80-77. The Gamecocks used their SEC-best 3-point defense to hold the Tigers to 28% (7 of 25) from beyond the arc. That is an essential skill, since Auburn produces a conference-best 45.2% of their points from 3P range. This held true in Auburn's opening win against Missouri, making 12 three-pointers against the Tigers.
On the offensive side, South Carolina actually owns the highest 3P efficiency of any SEC team in conference play. The Gamecocks are 40.9% as a team from 3P, even better than Auburn at 39.4%.
South Carolina will also welcome back second-leading scorer A.J. Lawson (13.9 ppg) from an ankle sprain. Over the previous five games before getting injured against Alabama on Feb. 26, Lawson shot a blistering 62% (16 of 26) from 3P range.
In addition, Auburn ranks dead last in SEC play at defending the 2P. Gamecocks senior center Chris Silva (14.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) had a monster game of 32 points and 14 rebounds in their previous win over the Tigers.
South Carolina's Frank Martin has done a fantastic job with the Gamecocks, and giving him eight points on a neutral court is gambling charity. This will be a close game, and one that the Gamecocks could easily win. With their superior perimeter defense and return of Lawson, grab South Carolina and the points.
The Pick: South Carolina +8