The South Carolina Gamecocks will more than likely have A.J. Wilson back at power forward for tonight’s game. How much of an impact will Wilson have on this game against UAB? Let’s see the NCAAB odds.
UAB Blazers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
Thursday, November 18, 2021 – 7:00 PM EST at Colonial Life Arena
South Carolina really hit the "reset" button this year. After a dreadful campaign last year with several players and coaches getting COVID, the team just didn’t respond. With a loss to Princeton earlier in the year, the same doubts started to hit South Carolina. So what did they do? They beat Western Kentucky to shut out all that noise.
The Gamecocks added Erik Stevenson from Washington, who has added 10 points a game along with James Reese V from North Texas, Chico Carter from Murray State, and Josh Gray from LSU. Carter isn’t playing much but James Reese and Stevenson have been averaging about 10 a game along with returning forward Wildens Leveque and guard Jermaine Couisnard.
Couisnard has been the main contributor offensively with 15.7 points per game. Meanwhile, Leveque is close to averaging a double-double with 11.3 points and 9.7 rebounds. He’s likely getting help at the forward position tonight with A.J. Wilson returning from injury.
The transfer out of George Mason went down with a back injury and had to deal with a death in his family the day before the season opener. According to the South Carolina beat, Wilson is expected to return to action tonight, which will help one of the biggest issues South Carolina has faced this season - they haven’t had a reliable power forward in quite some time.
They just weren’t getting enough paint scoring and weren’t getting blocked shots along with rebounds. Defense down low was a problem with young players making many mistakes. Wilson, an experienced transfer that averaged 2.3 blocks per game and five rebounds per game, will be huge for this team moving forward. If he’s announced well to go, this line should shift in our favor.
One of the best scorers for South Carolina, Keyshawn Bryant will not be playing but they’re already coming off a win against Western Kentucky without two key players. This team still has SEC-level talent and was projected to be around 10-12 in the league with 14 teams. They’re not even the "worst" SEC team.
South Carolina is going to need plenty of stops inside, knowing UAB is shooting 62.6 percent from inside the arc this season. UAB is also knocking down 39 percent of threes but only taking threes one out of four shots. UAB is also turning the ball over at just 9.8 percent, which is third-best in college basketball. However, South Carolina has always had a knack for forcing turnovers and has forced a turnover nearly 25 percent of the time.
UAB has also struggled to rebound, allowing 36.5 percent of offensive rebounds. This is another area, especially with Wilson back, that South Carolina should dominate in. The Gamecocks already get 39.2 percent offensive rebounds this season. Adding Wilson will be a problem for UAB.
Lastly, South Carolina is shooting just 23.6 percent from long range - this is really just due to Erik Stevenson going 2-for-25 from downtown. He’s capable but has always been a 30 percent three-point shooter. South Carolina has given him the green light and he hasn’t produced from long range. It’s going to click soon and it could help bring home.
Like UAB, South Carolina doesn’t shoot threes often but they’ve been poor from long range. With UAB allowing opponents to shoot 43.2 percent from long range this season, there’s a good chance South Carolina gets some wide-open looks from downtown. Breakout game for Stevenson anyone? Honestly, any college basketball team can knock wide-open looks down.
Prediction
This game is going to be a hard-fought game in the paint. UAB has added plenty of transfers too and has averaged 95 points per game this season. Against South Carolina, that likely won’t continue and while UAB has looked like the better team so far this season, for our NCAAB picks, we’re getting an SEC team at home against a non-Power 5 team with points.
NCAAB Pick: South Carolina +118 with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
