The Northwestern Wildcats take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in White Sulphur Springs, WV, as part of the Greenbrier Tip-Off. Tip-off is set for approximately 5 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Northwestern is favored by -6 points on the spread with a moneyline of -245. The total is set at 138 points.
Here are my Northwestern vs. South Carolina predictions and college basketball picks for November 23, 2025.
Northwestern vs South Carolina Prediction
My Pick: Northwestern -5.5 (Play to -7)
My Northwestern vs South Carolina best bet is on the Wildcats to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Northwestern vs. South Carolina Odds
| Northwestern Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6 -110 | 138 -110 / -110 | -245 |
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6 -110 | 138 -110 / -110 | +200 |
- Northwestern vs South Carolina spread: Northwestern -6
- Northwestern vs South Carolina over/under: 138 points
- Northwestern vs South Carolina moneyline: Northwestern -245, South Carolina +200
Northwestern vs South Carolina College Basketball Betting Preview
Northwestern Basketball
Northwestern has to feel like it let one get away in its loss to Virginia. The Wildcats held a game-high seven-point lead at the under 12-minute mark in the second half, but the scoring well went dry late.
It was a rare off-night for star big man Nick Martinelli, who scored fewer than 17 points for the first time this season. The crafty southpaw is elite with his mid-range floater, but he was just a bit off in this matchup.
Everything for the Wildcats begins and ends with their bigs. Martinelli is the team leader with 18.2 points per game, and his interior cohort — Arrinten Page — has become a force on both ends.
Page is exactly what the Cats lacked next to Martinelli last season — an athletic big man who can dominate defensively and score.
Keep an eye on point guard Jayden Reid. The South Florida transfer is lightning fast and uses his quickness to get into the paint and make plays. With all of the Gamecocks' issues defending on the interior, Reid could live in the lane.
Northwestern is far more balanced than South Carolina. The Wildcats are a strong shooting squad, connecting on 40% of their 3-point shots. They also seldom turn the ball over (12.7%) and hold teams to 27% shooting from deep and 41% shooting from inside the arc.
South Carolina Basketball
In the opening game of the Greenbrier Tip-Off, South Carolina looked completely overmatched by Butler.
The Gamecocks got crushed on the interior. Butler made a living on the offensive glass, collecting 15 boards while shooting 50% from 2-point range.
Much of that is due to Lamont Paris totally giving up on most of the Gamecocks' interior options. They started the Butler game with three guards, one wing and one small-ball four, with one of the guards — Mike Sharavjamts — being the tallest starter at 6-foot-9.
Paris looked like a genius for benching the bigs, as they all struggled off the bench. Seven-footer Christ Essandoko, Elijah Strong and Jordan Butler were net negatives in 39 combined minutes. At least Butler scored six points, but the other two did nothing positive.
All the negatives aside, South Carolina could be a fun team to watch when the shots are falling. The star of the show is Meechie Johnson, who's about as boom-or-bust as it gets. He scored 24 against Butler and 33 against Southern Miss, but he had a pair of single-digit scoring games in between.
The only real hope that South Carolina has to win games will be on outlier shooting days.
Stylistically, this squad wants to let it fly from deep, attempting 3s on 49.5% of its shots.
South Carolina needs better performances from its wings, Myles Stute and Kobe Knox. Stute is known for shooting, but he's off to a brutal 7-for-29 (21%) start from deep. Knox, meanwhile, is hitting just 24% from deep.
Northwestern vs. South Carolina Betting Analysis
Does a world exist where Ellis and Johnson combine for 60+ for South Carolina? Sure.
However, that's the only path I see for the Gamecocks to win this game — or covering the spread.
Just looking at the way Butler dominated the interior and glass, Northwestern should have a field day.
That's the strength for head coach Chris Collins' team, and it's a clear issue for the Gamecocks.
My Pick: Northwestern -5.5 (Play to -7)
