South Carolina State Bulldogs at Charleston Southern Buccaneers

TALE OF THE TAPE Charleston Southern South Carolina State Record 3-2 last 5 ← 0-5 last 5 eFG% 54.2% ← 42.5% Turnovers (per game) 13.6 ← 15.2 Off Reb (per game) 13.5 ← 12.7 FT Rate / FTA 0.268 / 17.9 → 0.385 / 22.9 Recent Form (L5) 3 wins, 2 losses← 5 straight losses Key Injuries None None Gary's Take I love this spot for Charleston Southern because the underlying efficiency gap is massive. The Buccaneers simply shoot it at a much higher level (54.2% effective field goal vs 42.5%, including 36.1% from three vs 30.7%), and they still take better care of the ball (13.6 turnovers per game vs 15.2). Add a small edge on the offensive glass (13.5 offensive boards per game vs 12.7), and you’re looking at more made shots and more chances on almost every possession. South Carolina State’s real lifeline is the whistle (much higher free-throw rate and nearly five more attempts per game, 22.9 vs 17.9), but they don’t separate at the stripe either (66.0% vs 65.0% from the line). Their recent form is ugly: five straight losses with multiple blowouts, including 79-101 at the Eagles and 66-98 at the Tigers. Meanwhile Charleston Southern is 3-2 over its last five with two big home wins, 93-81 over the Lions and that 124-63 demolition of the Owls, which is exactly what you expect when a strong shooting profile meets a soft defense. Tempo indicators have these teams playing at similar pace (both flagged with similar tempo profiles), which means the better shooting and more secure team should see its edge compound over 40 minutes. I see Charleston Southern living in the 80s again while South Carolina State struggles to keep up possession for possession. Only way this misses is if South Carolina State lives at the line and Charleston Southern goes ice cold from deep, but the numbers don’t point that way. Lock it in: Charleston Southern Buccaneers -7.5 -114.