Check out our free Mississippi State vs South Carolina pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Columbia. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Mississippi State vs South Carolina Pick & Preview: Tuesday, January 31st Betting Odds

Bulldogs vs Gamecocks Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Mississippi State Bulldogs at South Carolina Gamecocks
  • Where: Columbia at Colonial Life Arena
  • Date: Tuesday, January 31st
  • Betting Odds: Mississippi State -10, MSPST -553 | SC +388 O/U 126.5

Bulldogs Preview:

Heading into today’s matchup vs South Carolina, the Mississippi State Bulldogs will be taking the floor for the 22nd time this season and have an overall record of 13-8. So far, the Bulldogs have played 5 games on the road, with a record of 1-4. This season, Mississippi State has been favored to win in 15 games, sitting with a mark of 12-3. For today’s contest, Mississippi State has a betting line set -10 points in their favor.

Tolu Smith comes into today’s game as the Bulldogs’ leading scorer at 14.43 points per contest. Not only has Smith been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Mississippi State’s top rebounder at 8.24 boards per contest. Behind Smith, the team has benefited from the strong play of D.J Jeffries, who is second on the team in scoring at 8.86 points per game. Overall, he has hit 32.2% of his shots and is adding 6.0 boards per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Mississippi State this season, as they are currently ranked 209th in college basketball at 70.9 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Bulldogs’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 29.5%, placing them 479th in the NCAA.

Gamecocks Preview:

The South Carolina Gamecocks head into today’s game in what will be their 22nd game of the season, posting a record of 8-13. Currently, the Gamecocks have been the home team 13 times, sitting with a record of 6-7. So far, the Gamecocks have been the underdog 15 times, going 4-11 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +10 underdogs on the spread.

Gregory Jackson II comes into today’s game as the Gamecocks’ leading scorer at 16.19 points per contest. Not only has II been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is South Carolina’s top rebounder at 6.95 boards per contest. Behind II, the team has benefited from the strong play of Meechie Johnson Jr., who is second on the team in scoring at 11.84 points per game. Overall, he has hit 34.2% of his shots and is adding 4.11 boards per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for South Carolina this season, as they are currently ranked 205th in college basketball at 71.0 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Gamecocks’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 31.6%, placing them 385th in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: Mississippi State Bulldogs -10

The Mississippi State Bulldogs will tip off their matchup over South Carolina Gamecocks as the strong favorites to pick up the win with a point spread sitting at -10. Our analysis like’s Mississippi State’s chances to pull away with an easy win and cover the spread. When looking at how each team likes to play, both Mississippi State and South Carolina are near the NCAA average in possessions per game. We like how this scenario favors Mississippi State, as throughout the game their superior talent should come through in an easy win. Although the Bulldogs don’t have a great track record vs the spread as the betting favorite, going 1-4 (last 5), we like their chances to come away with the ATS win.