South Carolina Upstate Spartans vs Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Two winless teams meet in Conway, and only one of them has been close. Coastal Carolina lost its opener by a point and then gave up 113 at Duke, while South Carolina Upstate has lost by 13 and 8 and brings the steadier backcourt of the two.

The Matchup

South Carolina Upstate visits Coastal Carolina on Monday evening at The HTC Center in Conway, on ESPN+, with Coastal Carolina a 9.5-point favorite, a total of 149.5, and the Chanticleers priced at -470 on the moneyline against Upstate at +360. Both teams are 0-2, and that is about all their starts have in common.

Upstate lost 83-70 at East Carolina and 78-70 at home to South Carolina State, two games it stayed in. Ries Naugle leads the Spartans at 14.0 points a game, Amont'e Allen-Johnson leads them at 6.0 assists a game, and Miles Webb leads them at 6.5 rebounds a game, so the ball moves and the scoring has a clear first option.

Coastal Carolina lost its home opener 71-70 to Eastern Michigan, then went to Duke and lost 113-52, a night that says more about Duke than about the Chanticleers. Trey Perry leads Coastal at 17.0 points a game and Jaylen Cross leads it at 5.5 rebounds a game, but Darius Washington III leads the team at just 2.0 assists a game, and an offense that shares the ball that little leans hard on Perry creating his own shot.

Last season is the steadier read on both teams, because this season is two games old and one of Coastal's two was that trip to Duke. Coastal went 19-13 last season, scored 73.3 points a game, and allowed 72.6. Upstate went 13-19, scored 74.3, and allowed 73.7, scoring numbers nearly identical to Coastal's. The Spartans also won the one meeting between these two last season, 85-78 at Upstate, which is worth remembering before laying points on the rematch.

Key Factors

Perry is the first problem for Upstate, and the only proven one. He is scoring 17.0 points a game for a Coastal team that has scored 61.0 a game this season, so more than a quarter of the Chanticleers' offense runs through one player. If Upstate can make somebody else beat them, Coastal's 2.0-assist leader tells you the help is not organized yet.

Coastal's defense is the other half of the case, and the Duke game is not the whole story. The Chanticleers allowed 92.0 points a game across their two games, and even the kinder half of that split, 71 to Eastern Michigan at home, came in a loss. Upstate has scored 70 in both of its games, and Naugle and Allen-Johnson give the Spartans two ways to get there again.

The honest counterpoint is the building and the memory of last season. Coastal won 19 games last season, this is a home game it expects to win, and a team that lost its opener here by one point will treat this as the night its season actually starts. If Perry gets help early and the Chanticleers push the pace toward that total of 149.5, a favorite laying points at home can separate late. Upstate has also not won yet, and its two competitive losses still ended with the Spartans giving up 83 and 78.

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.