Vanderbilt vs South Carolina Odds, Pick for Saturday

Only one guy deserves the Coach of the Year award in college basketball: South Carolina Gamecocks head coach, Lamont Paris.

Paris' team is 8-2 in an extremely tough SEC, and they continue to rattle off impressive victories.

The Gamecocks host Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon in an expected lopsided affair. However, the Gamecocks travel to Auburn on Tuesday in what is to be a highly anticipated ballgame.

It is a look-ahead spot for the Gamecocks, so there is a good chance they are flat against Vandy. The Commodores are having a forgetful season in Nashville, sitting in the basement of the SEC standings.

Vandy has struggled in league play, losing eight of its last nine games.

Unfortunately, the upcoming matchup against the Gamecocks does not bode well for the Commodores.

South Carolina boasts an elite defense, which poses a challenge for Vanderbilt's already struggling offense. With the team's slow pace, it's unlikely to hit 60 points on Saturday.

The 'Dores enter the matchup ranked 343rd nationally in 3-point shooting and 308th in 2-point shootings. The lone positive of the offense is that they take care of the basketball.

Their defense is pathetic and will not help their chances in the contest. Though the Gamecocks may appear sluggish throughout the game, the Vanderbilt offense is too weak to secure a win.

This matchup can potentially be a blowout, but mainly due to a lackluster offensive performance by the 'Dores. Their poor defense does not help, but they do not foul and are decent at protecting the rim.

Although the metrics suggest the Gamecocks should dominate the game, the situational spot does not help their cause.

With a big match-up against Auburn on Tuesday, there is a good chance that the Gamecocks may look flat throughout the game.

Despite these concerns, guard Meechie Johnson has been sensational and can singlehandedly beat Vanderbilt.

The Gamecocks offense tends to play slowly, so I anticipate a game with a lot of clock churning.

The Gamecocks rank top 60 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They do not foul often and are excellent at defending the perimeter.

Additionally, Paris may want to secure a win at home and quickly move on before their big match-up on Tuesday. With a terrible perimeter defense, the 'Dores should struggle to defend South Carolina's shooters.

However, Vandy is a decent interior defensive team, which could make scoring in that area more challenging for the Gamecocks.

Overall, I predict that the Gamecocks will win comfortably due to the lack of talent on the Vandy side of the floor, but it will likely be a low-scoring affair.

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I can't trust Vandy to cover the number despite it being an excellent situational spot. The Commodores can't score, so there's no reason to have faith in them staying within the spread.

However, an alternative approach for the matchup involves the total. It's a great spot to grab an under.

Both offenses are snails, and the Gamecocks have bigger fish to fry. Once they build a big lead, I expect them to milk the clock throughout the second half to ensure they are healthy for Auburn.

The Dores may not score 50 points in the matchup, so regardless of whether the Gamecocks hit a ton of 3's or not, there is a path for the Under. As bad as the 'Dores are defensively, their interior defense is above average.

Neither team is great at free-throw shooting, which helps our cause.

The Gamecocks offensive rebounding advantage is significant since more clocks will churn in the possession they can earn a second-scoring chance.

Pick: Under 130

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