Alabama vs South Carolina 2/26/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The South Carolina Gamecocks will travel to Coleman Coliseum to take on the 24^th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The South Carolina Gamecocks won their 4^th straight game and improved to 17-10 on the season after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 66-56, this past Wednesday. Bowling Green was outstanding on the defensive end against Mississippi State and had no trouble securing the victory after taking a 35-23 lead into halftime. South Carolina shot 43.9% from the field & 28.6% from beyond the arc while holding Mississippi State to just 35.8% shooting from the field & 0.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Gamecocks was Jermaine Couisnard who had 22 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, South Carolina is averaging 71.6 ppg on 43.1% shooting from the field. The Gamecocks are averaging 6.8 three-pointers per game on 31.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, South Carolina has been led by Jermaine Couisnard (11.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.2 spg), Erik Stevenson (11.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 spg), James Reese V (10.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg), & Devin Carter (9.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.8 apg).

Defensively South Carolina is allowing their opponents to average 69.0 ppg on 41.1% shooting from the field. The Gamecocks have a rebound margin of 2.9 and a turnover margin of 0.3.

The 24^th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide improved to 18-10 on the season after defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores, 74-72, this past Tuesday. Alabama trailed by a 37-32 margin at halftime, however, the Crimson Tide found some offensive success in the 2^nd half and was able to hold off the Commodores after taking a 64-53 lead with 6:53 left in regulation. Alabama shot 37.9% from the field & 28.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Vanderbilt to shoot 35.8% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Crimson Tide was Jahvon Quinerly who had 19 points, 1 rebound, & 3 assists.

On the season, Alabama is averaging 80.2 ppg on 44.3% shooting from the field. The Crimson Tide are averaging 9.2 three-pointers per game on 30.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Alabama has been led by Jaden Shackelford (16.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.5 apg), Jahvon Quinerly (14.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.4 apg), Keon Ellis (11.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.9 spg), & JD Davison (8.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.0 apg).

Defensively, Alabama is allowing their opponents to average 75.9 ppg on 43.0% shooting from the field. The Crimson Tide have a rebound margin of 3.4 and a turnover margin of -1.2.

The Gamecocks are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games, however, are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games vs. Alabama. The Crimson Tide are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games & 1-9 ATS in their last 10 home games.

South Carolina has been led by their defense which ranks 173^rd in scoring defense & 66^th in defensive FG%, however, the Gamecocks have had issues in terms of knocking down shots as they come into this matchup ranked just 234^th in FG%, & 274^th in 3P-FG%. Alabama has been led by their offense which ranks 14^th in scoring offense & 30^th in three-pointers made per game, however, the defense has struggled as the Crimson Tide rank just 318^th in scoring defense.

South Carolina has played well as of late, however, the Gamecocks have struggled for the most part on the road, losing to Tennessee, Arkansas, & Mississippi State all by double-digits points. Alabama is 12-2 at home this season and as I think their offense will have plenty of success against South Carolina, I think the Crimson Tide do enough to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!