Alabama Crimson Tide vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/08/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Venue:  Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC

Where to Watch:  SEC Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Alabama -9, South Carolina +9; Over/Under:  158 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Alabama -9, South Carolina +9; Over/Under:  158 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Alabama -9, South Carolina +9; Over/Under:  158 points

Alabama Crimson Tide:  12-2 (1-0) (5th place, SEC)

South Carolina Gamecocks:  10-4 (0-1) (16th place, SEC)

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Alabama Crimson Tide:  5-0  last 5

South Carolina Gamecocks:  4-1  last 5

Alabama is entering this game with a 12-2 record overall, a 1-0 record in conference games, and they are 2-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Oklahoma Sooners in their last game. Mark Sears led the team in points per game in that game with 22 while Labaron Philon was next on the team with 16. Mark Sears led the team in assists with 10 in that game while Grant Nelson led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 50% from the field, 31% from 3-point range, and 73.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 91.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 77.4 PPG against them. Alabama has an ATS record of 7-7 this season and their O/U record is 7-6-1.

South Carolina is entering this game with a 10-4 record overall, a 0-1 conference record, and they are 8-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their last game. Zachary Davis led the team in points in that game with 22 while Nick Pringle was next on the team with 8. Jamarii Thomas led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Collin Murray-Boyles led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 29.1% from the field, 10.5% from 3-point range, and 69.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 73.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67 PPG against them. South Carolina has an ATS record of 6-8 this season and their O/U record is 6-8.

The current betting odds have South Carolina listed as a 9 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. South Carolina has looked good in their games this season with their 10-4 record overall, but their 0-1 conference record has them right at the bottom of the SEC with the worst record in the conference. They have only played 1 conference game so far, but they looked terrible in that game with a huge loss to Mississippi State. That was a road game for them though so they will be looking to bounce back with a better performance in this game, and they have looked a lot better on their home court this year with their 8-1 home record. Meanwhile, Alabama has looked really good in their games this season with their 12-2 record overall and their 1-0 conference record which has them right near the top of the SEC and ranked inside the top 25. They are coming off a big win over Oklahoma in their last one and have looked good in their road games this year with their 2-1 road record, but this is still their first road conference game of the year and they are going to get a South Carolina team desperate to play better in this one. Alabama has a lot more talent on their side here, but South Carolina isn't a bad team either and they will have a better game at home. Alabama won't be as strong in this first conference road game either so South Carolina will be able to keep this a closer game. The best way to place a bet here is on South Carolina to cover the spread in this game. 

Alabama South Carolina Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, January 8, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Alabama 80 South Carolina 75.

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Alabama Crimson Tide: 19-26 ATS after scoring 85 points or more. 5-8 ATS after playing 2 consecutive home games. 5-12 1H ATS off a home win against a conference rival. 8-4 OVER after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 23-12 OVER off a home win. 25-15 OVER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%).

South Carolina Gamecocks: 27-19 ATS as an underdog. 4-1 ATS off a road loss by 20 points or more. 7-2 ATS versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game. 4-1 OVER after 3 or more consecutive unders. 4-1 OVER off a road loss by 20 points or more. 4-1 OVER after a game where they made 33% of their shots or worse.

Alabama Crimson Tide:  None.

South Carolina Gamecocks:  None.

"Looking at some of the talent coming through the SEC this year, that's a really good award for him." - Nate Oats on Labaron Philon being the only 3-time SEC Freshman of the Week.

“Mississippi State did a lot of things well; we didn’t do many things well at all. We just didn’t have it.” - Lamont Paris after his team’s loss against Mississippi State in their last game. 

G. Nelson 

C. Omoruyi 

L. Philon 

M. Sears 

J. Stevenson

C. Murray-Boyles 

N. Pringle 

M. Stute 

J. Thomas 

J. Wright

PPG: M. Sears (18.3)

APG: M. Sears (4.4)

Reb/G: G. Nelson (8.8)

PPG: C. Murray-Boyles (15.8)

APG: J. Thomas (3.5)

Reb/G: C. Murray-Boyles (9.4)

Coaches:

Alabama Crimson Tide: Nate Oats (6th season)

South Carolina Gamecocks: Lamont Paris (3rd season)