South Carolina basketball vs. LSU score prediction, scouting report for SEC game
After absorbing its most lopsided defeat of the season, the South Carolina basketball team will attempt to get back on track against SEC rival LSU.
The Gamecocks (21-4, 9-3 SEC) and Tigers (12-12, 4-7) will tip off on Saturday (3:30 p.m., SEC Network) at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.
South Carolina suffered a 40-point loss at Auburn on Wednesday night that snapped the Gamecocks’ seven-game SEC winning streak and dropped coach Lamont Paris’ team into a two-way tie with Auburn for second place in the conference standings behind Alabama.
Still, South Carolina’s major rebound from last year’s 11-21 record has it ranked 51st in the NET rankings with a 3-3 record vs. Quad 1 opponents. LSU is ranked 93rd in the NET and is 2-7 against Quad 1 foes.
Here are three things to know heading into Saturday’s game:
South Carolina, LSU continue competitive series
South Carolina leads the all-time series against LSU — barely. The Gamecocks are 20-18, and the series is tied 5-5 in the past 10 meetings.
Seven of those 10 games were decided by single digits, including three games by three points or less or in overtime. South Carolina has won each of the past two games against LSU, winning 82-73 last season in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and prevailing 77-75 at Colonial Life Arena in 2022. The Gamecocks are 9-9 all-time in home games against the Tigers.
Gamecocks' Collin Murray-Boyles shines again
Collin Murray-Boyles may be a freshman, but the 6-foot-7 forward has been playing like a veteran of late.
He’s coming off a 19-point game in the team’s loss at Auburn — his fourth consecutive game in double figures. He also shared the team lead with seven rebounds.
Murray-Boyles, who scored a career-high 31 points in a win against Vanderbilt last week, is averaging 20.5 points and seven rebounds, and shooting a blistering 74.5% from the floor in his past four games.
3-point shooting looms large for Gamecocks, Tigers
South Carolina’s 3-for-15 effort from 3-point range in its loss at Auburn was a continuance of its recent struggles from beyond the arc. It hasn't hit double figures in 3-pointers since a win at Tennessee on Jan. 30, and Ta'Lon Cooper, their leading long-range shotmaker, has made just one of his past eight 3-point attempts.
It’ll be imperative for South Carolina to ratchet up its defense against LSU, which has made 10 or more 3-point shots in six of its past eight games and is shooting 41% from beyond the arc in its past six. The Tigers are coming off an 11-of-21 effort against Florida.
“I’ll take that every night of the week,” said LSU coach Matt McMahon, whose team lost to the Gators 82-80.
Prediction
South Carolina 78, LSU 71: The Gamecocks got a rude wake-up call at Auburn. The home-court advantage of Colonial Life Arena, where the Gamecocks are 13-1 this season, should be more than enough to result in a 22nd victory.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina basketball score prediction, scouting report vs. LSU
