South Carolina vs Liberty Odds and Picks

• The Liberty Flames square off with the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first game of the Hall of Fame Classic at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri at 4 pm EST on Saturday
• It will be the first game of the year for the Gamecocks as their season opener with Coker was canceled after a Covid testing delay on Wednesday
• See the odds, spread, analysis and best bet below

Liberty has some trends in their favor for Saturday’s game when they meet the South Carolina Gamecocks on the hardwood in Kansas City.

They have defeated five Power Five opponents in the last four years under head coach Ritchie McKay and have won three of their last four games versus SEC schools, including an 84-73 win over Mississippi State on Thanksgiving Day.

This will mark the first time these two teams have played under their current regimes, and the Gamecocks are favored by nearly ten points.

South Carolina vs Liberty Odds

Odds as of November 27th at FanDuel

Liberty Can Keep Up Offensively

Liberty was on fire Thursday against Mississippi State, as they made a school record 19 three-pointers in the 84-73 victory. The Flames ended up 19-39 from downtown which was an improvement on their 34% in the season opener against Purdue.

They are being led by guard Darius McGhee, who set a personal record for three-pointers with seven against the Bulldogs. He has topped 20 points in both games so far this season, including an impressive 21 point effort against Purdue on Wednesday.

"You better believe it for @LibertyMBB_!"

Darius McGhee drills his fifth three of the game. pic.twitter.com/IOH8KF8kqx

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) November 27, 2020

Freshman Micaiah Abii has looked solid in the first two games of his college career, posting double digits in points in both games as well. PG Chris Parker is a senior that has turned a few heads in the young season,  notably by dishing out 10 assists against Mississippi State.

South Carolina Wants to Run

The Gamecocks played at the 11th fastest pace in the nation last season, with an average length of possession lasting 15.3 seconds. With the bulk of their roster coming back this season, they should be expected to play at the same pace.

South Carolina will be joined by Columbia native and North Carolina transfer, Seventh Woods. In his time with the Tar Heels, Woods never really caught on despite being a nationally hyped recruit. One explanation would be that he was stuck behind All-Americans Joel Berry and Coby White.

Nevertheless, Woods is an ultra talented player that should make a splash this season with the Gamecocks.

A Seventh Woods sighting 👀 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/McGF5NJ8NM

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 29, 2019

South Carolina’s top scorers from last season, A.J. Lawson and Jermaine Couisnard, are returning which is good news for Gamecock fans. Lawson was voted by the SEC coaches to the All-SEC first team while Couisnard made the second team. Both will be relied on heavily for scoring this season.

Best Bet for Saturday Afternoon

This game will be a battle of contrasting styles. South Carolina opts for quick shots and Liberty played at the second slowest pace in the country last season behind notoriously slow, Virginia. In games like this, I always like to consider a first half over play. The line should come out at or about 65 given that the total for the game is 139.5.

In both games Liberty has played so far this season, they have flown over the total in the first half as well as the game. In the opener against Purdue, the first half total was 57 and both teams combined for 71 first half points. Against Mississippi State, the number was 56 and the teams had that with five minutes left en route to an 81 points opening half.

I think Liberty will be forced to play faster than they want to given the style South Carolina plays. If that happens, this game will fly over the total in the first half.

Pick:

South Carolina/Liberty Over 65 *1st Half