The No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks host the South Carolina Gamecocks on Wednesday night in an SEC college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 9:00 p.m. ET in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Razorbacks are listed as 10.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 156.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this SEC college basketball matchup.
Arkansas vs. South Carolina prediction, preview
The Razorbacks are looking to bounce back after suffering their first SEC loss of the season to Auburn on Saturday. Arkansas started conference play brilliantly, beating Tennessee and Ole Miss before that loss to Auburn. It was also a solid nonconference campaign for the Razorbacks, whose only losses came to No. 6 Duke, No. 7 Houston and No. 12 Michigan State. They picked up a good win over No. 15 Texas Tech before heading into SEC play. So, Arkansas had only lost to three of the top-12 teams in the nation before Saturday’s loss against Auburn. It should be able to get back to winning ways in this home conference game against one of the SEC’s weaker teams.
South Carolina is trying to build in the right direction after finishing in last place in the SEC last season. The Gamecocks went 2-16 in SEC play last season and already have a win in just three conference games played this season, so that shows some positive signs of progress. South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson has led the way for the Gamecocks offensively, but the team is struggling to put the ball in the basket against high-level competition. South Carolina has performed pretty well at home, taking No. 21 Georgia down to the wire on Saturday. However, away from Colonial Life Arena, it has really struggled.
Arkansas vs. South Carolina pick
My best bet for this game is the over 156.5 points. Arkansas can score in bunches and will try to ramp up the pace in this game. It has much more athletic guards than South Carolina and should be able to push the pace. Arkansas ranks 27th in the nation in adjusted tempo and should dictate the pace against a Gamecock team that likes to play slow. Arkansas ranks 15th in the nation in scoring, averaging 89.4 points per game. However, it has also struggled to defend in conference play, giving up 87 points to Ole Miss and 95 points to Tennessee in its last two games. Arkansas knows that if this turns into a track meet, it should win with its superior talent. So, it has no problem giving up some easy buckets to South Carolina if it means it can dictate the tempo and play its game. Arkansas should win this comfortably and could put up a massive number. Meanwhile, South Carolina should score enough to keep up and get the final score over the listed total.
