Ole Miss vs South Carolina Odds, Pick for Tuesday

No. 15 South Carolina and Ole Miss battle on the hardwood Tuesday to tip off this week’s action in the Southeastern Conference.

The Gamecocks have won five straight, which includes wins over Kentucky and Tennessee, to move to a tie for second in the league standings and into the Top 25.

Meanwhile, the Rebels have also had a remarkable turnaround this season, owning an 18-4 overall and 5-4 record in the SEC.

Nobody predicted these two squads would be battling for a place in the NCAA Tournament, so this should be a fun contest in Columbus.

The turnaround in his first season at the school is impressive under coach Chris Beard. However, winning is nothing new for him.

Beard holds one of the highest career-winning percentages in the country, ranking 10th among active head coaches with 10 or more years of experience at over 71%.

Known for his stout defenses, it has been the offense that has shined for Ole Miss. Four Rebels, led by Matthew Murrell, are averaging double figures in scoring.

The senior guard became the 42nd player in school history to join the 1,000-point club. He continues to climb the charts, entering this game ranked 28th.

With Allen Flanigan (15.3) and Jaylen Murray (14.5) joining Murrell in the backcourt, the Rebels are challenging to defend every game.

Ole Miss isn’t the only squad enjoying a turnaround season.

Coach Lamont Paris has his program producing in his second year at the school, surpassing last year’s win total games ago.

South Carolina is also one of just a handful of teams with multiple victories over Top 10 opponents. This includes a road win at Tennessee, making the Gamecocks one of just three schools with a road victory against a Top 5 team.

One of the keys to the performances has been the play of four veteran transfers. Paris brought in Stephen Clark (The Citadel), Ta’Lon Cooper (Minnesota), BJ Mack (Wofford) and Myles Stute (Vanderbilt) in the offseason, who have played in over 430 combined games in their careers.

This squad could make a deep run in March when you add those playmakers with a quality guard like Meechie Johnson.

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Whenever the Rebels are in action, the first thing I like to check on is how the opponent does to start games, and I believe we have value on one of our favorite bets.

So, my best bet is to back Ole Miss to win the Race to 5 points offered at Fanduel at -105 odds or better. This play will come out on gameday after this article is released.

For South Carolina, Paris likes to rotate who handles the jump ball from his team between Mack and Collin Murray-Boyles. Both of those players are under 6-foot-9.

This lack of height at the opening tip has led opponents to get the first possession against the Gamecocks in 13 of 22 games (59%), which is not good when you face the Rebels.

Ole Miss won the Race to 5 in 82% of contests this season. The Rebels have also won the opening tip in 17 of 22 games.

Beard has multiple 7-footers he can call on to win the first possession. Between Jamarion Sharp and Moussa Cisse, the visitors will have a clear advantage in the early minutes.

Give me the Rebels to get off to another fast start on the road on Tuesday night.

Author's note: FanDuel offers "Race To" bets but usually only on game day, so this line isn't available at the time of writing. However, I expect the juice to open between -100 and -105, so I'm happy playing Ole Miss Race to 5 at -110 or better. 

Pick: Ole Miss Race to 5 (-110 or better)

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