PREMIUM
Rogers' EARLY 3-Game SWEEPER PASS
(NCAAB) Auburn vs. South Carolina,
Point Spread: 6.00 | -105.00 South Carolina (Home)
Result: Win
Point Spread: 6.00 | -105.00 South Carolina (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: Bruce Pearl has always been considered an excellent head coach but he's also had his fair share of controversies (if unfamiliar, try Google). After winning just 15 and 11 games in his first two season at Auburn, he led the Tigers to an 18-win season last year and all five starters were back for this season. Many felt Auburn could win 20 games in 2017-18 but few (if any) could have predicted that the Tigers would be 23-3 (11-2 in the SEC) and ranked 10th in the AP poll come mid-Feb. Auburn is off a 76-66 home victory over Kentucky, and will visit Columbia, S.C. on Saturday afternoon to take on the slumping 13-13 Gamecocks, who are 4-9 in SEC play. South Carolina nearly knocked off Tennessee on the road this past Tuesday, erasing a 14-point deficit before falling 70-67 (its sixth consecutive loss).
Auburn: The Gamecocks have won two straight meetings with Auburn and three of the last four. Bruce Pearl is aware and told reporters. "We can't afford to not (get up) or we won't win. It's real simple. If you're big enough, talented enough, deep enough, you can show up sometimes and win." Pearl is making his guard-oriented lineup work. Bryce Brown leads with 16.6 PPG, plus backcourt mates Mustapha Heron (16.1 & 5.3 rebounds) and Jared Harper (13.5 & 6.0 APG) help push the pace, can score and are pesky at the defensive end. The undersized Desean Murray (10.9 & 7.0) plays much bigger than his 6-3 frame,and fellow forwards, the 6-7 Anfernee McLemore (7.7 & 5.3) and the 6-8 Horace Spencer (4.2 & 4.7) are tough post defenders.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have one of the SEC's best big men in the 6-9 Chris Silva (14.2 & 7.6) but their guard play leaves much to be desired (they sure miss Thornwell and Dozier from LY's Final 4 team). Reserve guard Frank Booker (11.6 points), a graduate transfer from FAU, has averaged 14.2 points over his last five games but the rest of the members of the backcourt rotation have been inconsistent. Coach Frank Martin's teams typically are known for tough defense (allow 68.0 PPG to rank 6th) but South Carolina has allowed five straight opponents to shoot at least 46 percent (not good).
The pick: It's true that Auburn's Bruce Pearl is a leading candidate for National Coach of the Year but are the Tigers really as good as their record? The team's win over Kentucky was a real 'high' and a letdown seems more than possible. Note that South Carolina is 12-1 when scoring at least 70 points and while the Gamecocks haven't hit that mark in their last four games, they do average 70.2 PPG at home and Auburn is allowing 72.2 PPG on the season. Take the home dog and make South Carolina an 8* play.
Auburn: The Gamecocks have won two straight meetings with Auburn and three of the last four. Bruce Pearl is aware and told reporters. "We can't afford to not (get up) or we won't win. It's real simple. If you're big enough, talented enough, deep enough, you can show up sometimes and win." Pearl is making his guard-oriented lineup work. Bryce Brown leads with 16.6 PPG, plus backcourt mates Mustapha Heron (16.1 & 5.3 rebounds) and Jared Harper (13.5 & 6.0 APG) help push the pace, can score and are pesky at the defensive end. The undersized Desean Murray (10.9 & 7.0) plays much bigger than his 6-3 frame,and fellow forwards, the 6-7 Anfernee McLemore (7.7 & 5.3) and the 6-8 Horace Spencer (4.2 & 4.7) are tough post defenders.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have one of the SEC's best big men in the 6-9 Chris Silva (14.2 & 7.6) but their guard play leaves much to be desired (they sure miss Thornwell and Dozier from LY's Final 4 team). Reserve guard Frank Booker (11.6 points), a graduate transfer from FAU, has averaged 14.2 points over his last five games but the rest of the members of the backcourt rotation have been inconsistent. Coach Frank Martin's teams typically are known for tough defense (allow 68.0 PPG to rank 6th) but South Carolina has allowed five straight opponents to shoot at least 46 percent (not good).
The pick: It's true that Auburn's Bruce Pearl is a leading candidate for National Coach of the Year but are the Tigers really as good as their record? The team's win over Kentucky was a real 'high' and a letdown seems more than possible. Note that South Carolina is 12-1 when scoring at least 70 points and while the Gamecocks haven't hit that mark in their last four games, they do average 70.2 PPG at home and Auburn is allowing 72.2 PPG on the season. Take the home dog and make South Carolina an 8* play.
