South Carolina Gamecocks vs Clemson Tigers Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

No. 1 South Carolina crosses the state to Littlejohn Coliseum, where Clemson is 3-0 and has allowed 47, 57 and 44 points. The Gamecocks are favored by 24.5 in a rivalry game, in the loudest gym Clemson will play in all season.

The Matchup

South Carolina has played two games and won them in two completely different ways. The Gamecocks beat Maryland 101-93 in a shootout, then strangled North Carolina 84-39 on Sunday, and they have scored 92.5 points per game while allowing 66.0. Joyce Edwards scored 23 against Maryland and 15 against North Carolina, Agot Makeer scored 20 against Maryland while making all 4 of her three-pointers, and Chloe Kitts finished the North Carolina game with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Edwards, Makeer and Kitts carry no injury designations for Thursday.

Clemson is 3-0, all of it at Littlejohn Coliseum, beating Radford 68-47, East Tennessee State 76-57 and UNC Greensboro 72-44, scoring 72.0 points per game and allowing 49.3. The scoring is spread thin and even: Mia Moore has 35 points across the three games, including 20 against East Tennessee State on 7 of 8 shooting, Taliyah Henderson has 34, and Edie Clarke finished the Greensboro game with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Moore, Henderson and Clarke carry no injury designations for Thursday.

Last season's gap between these programs was wide. South Carolina went 36-4, scoring 85.6 points per game and allowing 57.8, while Clemson went 21-12, scoring 67.7 and allowing 59.1. What has changed since is the setting and the start: Clemson's defense has allowed 47, 57 and 44 points in its own gym, admittedly against Radford, East Tennessee State and Greensboro, none of which brings anything like Edwards and Kitts to the rim. South Carolina's own defense is not locked in yet either, after giving up 93 to Maryland.

Key Factors

The total tells the first part of the story. At 132.5, the market expects a slower, grind-it-out game, and slow games are the underdog's friend: fewer possessions means South Carolina's depth and talent get fewer chances to separate. Clemson has played every game this season in the 60s and low 70s, and a rivalry crowd at Littlejohn will do everything it can to keep it that way.

The second factor is how South Carolina wins. The Gamecocks' scary gear is defensive: North Carolina scored 39 points against them on Sunday. But Maryland scored 93 on them four days earlier, which says the defense travels in and out, and Clemson's even scoring, four players between 32 and 35 points for the week, gives the Tigers no single player to take away and break.

The counterpoint is the talent chasm, and it is honest. South Carolina beat a ranked North Carolina team by 45 points, Edwards and Kitts can own the offensive glass against a smaller frontcourt, and if Clemson's shots stop falling early, the Gamecocks' transition game can bury a home team before its crowd settles in. Clemson has also not seen a real opponent yet. The bet is that a defended, slow rivalry game on the road is a different animal from a home rout, and that this number prices the rout.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.