South Carolina a (slight) betting favorite in March Madness game vs. Oregon
South Carolina is a favorite in its first NCAA Tournament game since 2017 — but only a slight one.
The Gamecocks men’s basketball team started out as a 1.5-point favorite in the point spread against Oregon. The Ducks were almost assuredly outside the March Madness field before making a surprise run in the Pac-12 tournament.
The total over/under for points scored in the game is 133.5.
Some of the major analytics systems also make No. 6 seed South Carolina a slight favorite.
▪ KenPom: Gamecocks have a 54% probability to win
▪ T-Rank: Gamecocks favored at 55%
VegasInsider puts South Carolina at 28-to-1 betting odds to reach the Final Four. That’s tied for sixth in the region with No. 7 seed Texas. However, those odds are a big drop-off from the 14-to-1 odds for No. 5-seed Gonzaga.
Overall, FanDuel puts South Carolina’s odds for a national title at 170-to-1.
FanDuel released some player props, with over/unders for B.J. Mack, Collin Murray-Boyles and Meechie Johnson each at 12.5 points. You can also bet whether or not Ta’Lon Cooper will get more or less than 18.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in the game.
The Gamecocks went 23-10 against the spread this season. This was likely because of a gap in their gaudy 26-7 record and more lackluster computer rankings.
If the Gamecocks beat Oregon, they’ll get the winner of Creighton and Akron. South Carolina went more than four decades between NCAA Tournament wins (1973 to 2017), but that Frank Martin team made a magical run to the Final Four as a No. 7 seed.
