South Carolina vs Princeton College Basketball Picks, Odds, Predictions 11/12/2021

The Princeton Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks meet Friday in college basketball action from Harrah’s Cherokee Center. Princeton is 1-0 so far following a blowout win over Rutgers-Camden this week. As for the Gamecocks, they won their first game as well. South Carolina took out SC Upstate by 18 points this week. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Princeton followed along with the rest of the Ivy League last season and didn’t play, so it’s been a while since we’ve seen them in full form. The Tigers’ most recent full year was 2019-20, where they finished 14-13 overall and 9-5 in Ivy League play. 

Princeton had zero troubles in their opener versus Rutgers-Camden, ultimately drilling the opposition 94-28. The Tigers had a 52-16 edge in the first half and a 42-12 edge in the second. Mason Hooks led the team with 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. 

Over on the South Carolina side, they logged a 6-15 overall record last year with a 4-12 run in SEC games. The Gamecocks finished just two spots out of the basement in the conference standings, and fell in the first game of the SEC Tournament to Ole Miss. 

South Carolina took care of SC Upstate in their opener this week, turning a 43-34 halftime edge into a 78-60 victory. The Gamecocks’ top scorers were Wildens Leveque and Jermaine Couisnard, each with 14 points and a combined 14 rebounds. 

SC is 1-5 ATS in their last six neutral-site games and 2-5 ATS in their last seven after a straight-up win. The Gamecocks are 1-4 ATS in their last five on Friday. 

Meanwhile, the Tigers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 after a straight-up win and 8-1 ATS in their last nine as an underdog. The under is 11-4 in Princeton’s last 15 overall. 

PICK: I’m going to try South Carolina, but not messing with this one. Considering Princeton has been inactive for so long—not to mention the bludgeoning of sub-par competition in their opener—it’s tough to put a bead on the Tigers’ abilities right now. That said, they did their jobs well in the first game. 

As for South Carolina, they shot a mild 39.5 percent from the field and 21.1 percent from 3-point range (4-of-19) in their win, but were buoyed by 52 rebounds and 20 turnovers from SC Upstate. Unless Princeton catches fire I think the Gamecocks can handle things here if they shoot a little better.