The Baylor Bears and South Carolina Gamecocks’ chances of advancing out of the East Region in the NCAA tournament got much better after heavyweights Duke and Villanova bowed out over the weekend, and their Sweet 16 matchup on Friday figures to be one of the most competitive of the weekend. Sportsbooks opened South Carolina as 3.5-point underdogs with a total of 136.5.
- Baylor is 1-4 ATS in its last five games after consecutive wins.
- The total has gone UNDER in South Carolina's last five games against the Big 12.
- South Carolina is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games against teams with winning records.
The Bears survived a close game against USC to advance to the next round, as Baylor erased an inconsistent end to the regular season after blowing out New Mexico State by 20 points in the first round. The Sportsbook of this game faces the Sportsbook of Florida and Wisconsin in the Elite Eight.
Baylor is led by junior forward Johnathan Motley, who has had a double-double in the Bears’ first two games of the tournament. Motley had 19 points and 10 rebounds against USC in the Round of 32, and he’s averaging 17.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists on the year.
The Gamecocks stunned Duke in the Round of 32 to get to the Sweet 16, pleasing a nation of Duke haters in the process. South Carolina took advantage of playing its first two games of the tournament in Greenville, which is just a short drive from Columbia.
Baylor has been a fantastic straight-up play when facing the SEC lately. In the Bears’ last 10 vs the SEC, they’re a sizzling 9-1 SU.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs Baylor Bears Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Baylor Bears are 27-7 so far on the season, and 15-16 ATS vs the number. The South Carolina Gamecocks, meanwhile, are 24-10 and 14-18 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Baylor go 15-16 and the South Carolina Gamecocks go 13-18-1 on betting totals.
This college basketball game matches up the No. 48 (Baylor) and the No. 168 (South Carolina) teams in the league, according to our current NCAA basketball power rankings.
Statistical Matchup
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Baylor has the nation's No. 141-rated offensive output, at 73.53 PPG. The visiting South Carolina Gamecocks defense ranks No. 27 allowing on average 65.21 PPG. The Bears FG% has averaged 47.58% so far, more than the Baylor Gamecocks marksmen have achieved on the year, 41.86% per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
South Carolina got 24 points from Sindarius Thornwell en route to a 88-81 victory over Duke on Sunday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Baylor earned a 82-78 victory over USC on Sunday, getting 19 points from Johnathan Motley at BOK Center.
