Baylor Bears vs South Carolina Gamecocks Point Spread Picks

South Carolina is peaking at the right time as it comes off its stunning upset of Duke after destroying Marquette by 20 points. The Gamecocks did it with defense against Duke, allowing just a .415 shooting percentage while matching Duke at the free throw line making 27-of-32, including several clutch shots in the final minutes. Sindarius Thornwell scored 24 points and Chris Silva added 17 points and 10 rebounds and the Gamecocks' physical play wore down the Blue Devils in the second half. Baylor outlasted USC 82-78 with Jonathan Motley and Terry Maston scoring 19 points apiece and Terry LeComte scored eight points in 45 seconds late in the second half. The Bears prevailed even though it allowed the Trojans to shoot 54.5 percent. South Carolina is 4-1-1 ATS its last six games as an underdog and 37-18-1 ATS in its last 56 non-conference games. Baylor is 5-11 ATS as a favorite and 1-4 ATS its last five NCAA Tournament games. Dating back to last season, the Gamecocks have thrived vs. elite competition going 18-8 ATS vs. teams like Baylor that outscore opponents by 4+ points per game. They are also 27-14 straight-up over that span vs. winning teams and 10-5 straight-up vs. teams that outscore opponents by 8+ ppg. Under head coach Frank Martin, this teams is also 17-8 ATS in neutral-court games, as well as 14-8 straight-up on the road in tournament games. Take the points with South Carolina as my NCAA Tournament Game of the Year.

The College Hoops Tip-off Marathon will feature 1-0 Baylor vs. 1-0 South Carolina. This is a different team at Baylor this year as they must replace three of their top four scorers, and last year at home they managed to squeak past South Carolina by just a 66-64 margin. South Carolina has expressed the sour taste from their defeat a year ago, and are out for revenge. The Gamecocks showed great balance in their opener, posting six players between 8-12 points, and at this early stage they appear to have a lot more options than a Baylor team trying replace a lot of scoring from last season. The Gamecocks are 4-0 ATS going back to last year vs. non-conference opponents, have the motivation, and more experience to reverse the loss from a year ago. Play on South Carolina on the moneyline.