South Carolina vs Ohio State | Predictions

NCAA Basketball Free Pick – Saturday, December 18, 2010

vs.

South Carolina Gamecocks (7-1) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)
Saturday, December 18, 2010  at 2:00 PM EST on CBS

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Last meeting: There is no previous meeting between these two teams.

South Carolina is off to an OK start.  Wins against Wofford and Clemson will help build a resume for a club most think will be on the outside looking in come tournament time.  Now if they can beat Ohio State it might be a different story.  Still the Gamecocks beat Kentucky last year and it wasn’t enough to get them into the Big Dance.  This year’s team is a lot different form last year.  Last year Devan Downey was heart, soul and leading scorer.  This year they are doing it by committee with 6 players averaging more than 8 points a game.  Their leader is Bruce Ellington, who at 5’9″ reminds many of the departed Downey.  He will have to make a few game winners to make them forget his predecessor

Ohio State probably has the best starting lineup in the nation.  Freshman Jared Sullinger has been the real deal so far and he compliments the returning crew with his inside scoring and toughness.  The only thing holding this squad back a little is the lack of a true PG type.  Still they are going to be hard to beat, especially for South Carolina which doesn’t really have the talent to compete with OSU unless someone has a really outstanding performance like Downey did last year when they beat Kentucky.  That is a tall order on the road against a team that has dominated everybody all season.

The current line on this one is Ohio State -18.  Not a great value.  OSU should win easily but it could slip below the number in garbage time

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Prediction: Ohio State is very impressive so far.  Ellington is a nice player but the Buckeyes shouldn’t have much trouble with the Gamecocks.

Score:  Ohio State 81 – South Carolina 70

South Carolina Betting Trends

• Gamecocks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a S.U. win.
• Gamecocks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games.
• Gamecocks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
• Gamecocks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. Big Ten.

Ohio State Betting Trends

• Buckeyes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
• Buckeyes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
• Buckeyes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. Southeastern.