Clemson vs South Carolina Odds
| Clemson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -104 | 135.5 -110o / -110u | -162 |
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -118 | 135.5 -110o / -110u | +134 |
The college basketball season ramps up on Friday night.
A highlight of the Friday night slate will be an in-state rivalry matchup between Clemson and South Carolina.
The Gamecocks are coming off of a disappointing 2021-22 campaign after finishing 18-13 and eighth in the SEC.
South Carolina will look to replace significant pieces from last year's team with five-star freshman GG Jackson, who finished as the No. 6 overall prospect in the class of 2021.
The Gamecocks opened the season with a 80-77 victory over South Carolina State. In his first career collegiate start, Jackson amassed 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting.
Clemson is coming off of a similarly disappointing season, finishing just above .500 at 17-16, and 10th in the ACC standings.
This Tigers' roster will have some growing up to do after losing four players from their starting five in 2021-22.
Chase Hunter will lead the Tigers at the point guard position as the only returning starter.
The Tigers opened their season up with 80-69 win against The Citadel in which sophomore C Ian Schieffelin was impressive off the bench, posting 20 points and 14 boards.
Will Jackson be able to carry a Gamecocks' roster with little winning experience? Will Clemson be able to develop its role players into efficient starters?
Let's dive in.
Clemson Tigers
Brad Brownell enters his 13th season as the head coach of the Tigers. With only one returning starter in Hunter, Brownell and his staff's player development will be tested early this season.
The Tigers are projected to start three players that came off the bench a season ago in SG Alex Hemenway, PF Hunter Tyson and Schieffelin.
Schieffelin has seen increased minutes due to Clemson's star center PJ Hall being sidelined after knee surgery.
Although Schieffelin has big shoes to fill, he seemed up to the task in the Tigers' opener against The Citadel.
Clemson sophomore Ian Schieffelin opens the season with a huge 20 & 14 game. The 6'7 forward scored his 20 points efficiently on 13 shots and hit a three. He averaged just 3 PTS and 3 REB as a freshman. With PJ Hall being out, Schieffelin looks to be in line for a larger role. pic.twitter.com/JOd4Nhkzk5
— Clay (@ClayAtki) November 8, 2022
Schieffelin's role gets even more important when you look at the matchup he faces on Friday night against highly-touted freshman Jackson.
Although neither guy has a ton of experience playing significant roles in college, the intangibles are there for them to be cornerstones of each team's respective offenses on Friday night.
Where I believe the Tigers have a true advantage over the Gamecocks is in the point-guard play of Hunter.
Last season, Hunter averaged 22.7 minutes per game, doing a little bit of everything off the bench. Hunter posted 6.7 points per game to go with 1.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds.
This experience will be crucial in a pick-and-roll game with Schieffelin that was highly effective in their opener. Hunter's 27% usage rate led the team and resulted in 23 points and seven assists.
Look for Brownell to utilize this combination against a South Carolina backcourt still trying to mesh.
A key element to this matchup will be the coaching advantage for Clemson.
Last season, the Tigers ranked inside the top 50 in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, turnover % and offensive rebounds allowed.
These three stats reflect a disciplined Tigers team that will not beat themselves.
On the other end of the court, South Carolina has a drastically different coaching situation.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Lamont Paris enters his first season as the head coach of the Gamecocks after serving as the head coach of Chattanooga. Paris led Chattanooga to 65-29 record over the past three seasons.
Paris hit the ground running on the recruiting trail, landing a commitment from Jackson.
Jackson is out to turn this South Carolina program around after an impressive outing in the Gamecocks' opening victory against South Carolina State.
Former 5⭐️ GG Jackson did his thing tonight in South Carolina’s 80-77 win over South Carolina State.
Jackson finished with 18pts, 10rebs and an assist in the win. Looked really solid on both ends of the floor.
The #1 player in the ‘22 class for a reason. pic.twitter.com/FkuTP2dpMW
— 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) November 9, 2022
This production from Jackson is of the utmost importance to a team that ranks 258th in minutes continuity from last season, returning just 15.4%.
The only two starters that were on South Carolina's roster a year ago are SG Chico Carter Jr. and SF Jacobi Wright. Both returning players will have to take a big step forward after averaging just 9.4 and 15.4 minutes, respectively.
In addition to landing Jackson, Paris turned to the transfer portal to fortify a struggling roster.
The most notable addition was PG Meechie Johnson from Ohio State. Johnson averaged 17.7 minutes for the Buckeyes and brings some big-time experience to Columbia.
MEECHIE JOHNSON THREE BALL TO GIVE OHIO STATE (-100) THE LEAD🔥
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 23, 2021
Former Citadel PF Hayden Brown is South Carolina's biggest surprise after just one game. Brown exploded for 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting against South Carolina State.
Similar to Johnson, Brown provides an ample amount of experience for the Gamecocks after averaging 32.1 minutes per game last year, which resulted in 18.8 points per game.
It is clear that Paris has put the pieces in play for South Carolina to be successful — how long they take to mesh as a unit is the question.
Paris has his work cut out for him from a fundamentals standpoint, as the Gamecocks ranked outside the top 200 in offensive rebounds allowed, turnover % and FTs allowed.
All of these are statistics that will take time to correct and are also areas that their Friday-night opponent, Clemson, excels at.
Clemson vs. South Carolina Betting Pick
Although on paper these are two very evenly-matched teams from a talent perspective, I believe that Clemson will have the coaching advantage that will lead it to come out on top.
The Gamecocks were poor at defending the 3-point line in their opener, allowing South Carolina State to shoot 42.3% from beyond the arc.
This combined with losing both the steals and turnover battle kept a significantly less talented South Carolina State team in the game until the very end.
Look for Clemson to capitalize on these mistakes, as South Carolina continues to mesh from both a player and coaching perspective.
