South Carolina vs Auburn Odds, Pick for Wednesday

The Auburn Tigers, as of last week, were a trendy pick to win the national title. However, life comes at teams pretty quickly and Auburn lost at Florida by double digits on Saturday.

Now the Tigers head home to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks, who are riding a seven-game winning streak. The Gamecocks have surprised many in the college basketball world and are tied for first place in the SEC.

Here's South Carolina vs. Auburn odds and a pick.

South Carolina shoots a lot of 3s as it ranks in the top-50 in 3-point attempt rate and hits a touch over 34% from deep. However, Ta’Lon Cooper and Myles Stute are carrying the team from deep as the duo shoots over 40% from 3 combined.

Otherwise, the next best shooter on the Gamecocks is probably Meechie Johnson Jr. at a touch under 34%. Auburn ranks within the top 90 in Open 3 Rate on defense, per Shot Quality, but only having to target two shooters should make the Tigers’ job a bit easier defensively. Overall, opponents aren't able to launch many 3s on the Tigers and are shooting only 30.1% from outside.

The Gamecocks also tend to have an edge on the offensive glass over their opponents. They rank in the top 50 in offensive rebounding, and Auburn struggles on the defensive glass. That said, neither team can truly rebound defensively, and Auburn actually ranks better in offensive rebounding, so both teams should get plenty of put-back opportunities.

South Carolina, at times, has trouble maintaining control over the ball. The Gamecocks also don't force many turnovers on defense. Auburn is better at both not turning it over and forcing turnovers. Chad Baker-Mazara and K.D. Johnson are the two names to watch here. They can both get out in transition after the Tigers force a turnover.

Usually, Auburn loses the “trips to the free-throw line” battle, but being at home often provides a boost to a team’s chances of getting to the line. Auburn has multiple players who can draw contact and hit free throws as the Tigers shoot a 75.6% from the charity stripe.

The Tigers are also effective on the interior and hold opponents to the lowest 2-point percentage in the country on defense. The Gamecocks are pretty effective when defending the rim, but Auburn is a bit better on the offensive end when it comes to scoring on the interior. Additionally, B.J. Mack could have his hands full and find himself in foul trouble trying to defend Johni Broome, one of the best interior players in the nation.

Lastly, Auburn should be able to make up the discrepancy of 3s taken with Baker-Mazara, Jaylin Williams, Denver Jones and Tre Donaldson, who are all shooting over 36% from deep this season. South Carolina’s perimeter defense is questionable, so Auburn should even out the battle from downtown.

Auburn’s defense can reign supreme in this matchup. The Tigers are also elite at scoring in transition and getting to the foul line, if they struggle to score via other methods.

That's what makes the Tigers so hard to defense.

Expect Auburn to cruise past South Carolina. Bet the Tigers to -12.

Pick: Auburn -11 (Play to -12)

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