Mercer Bears vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, 11/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mercer Bears vs South Carolina Gamecocks

Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024

Location: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC

TV: ESPN+

The Mercer Bears (2-2) are en route to Colonial Life Arena on Thursday where they will attempt to defeat the South Carolina Gamecocks (2-2).

The Mercer Bears took the court against South Alabama and took a loss by a score of 75-66 in their last contest. Mercer walked away from the game with a 37.9% field goal percentage (22 of 58) and made 12 of their 32 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Bears made 10 of 11 tries for a percentage of 90.9%. With regard to getting rebounds, they collected a total of 31 with 3 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 14 assists in this matchup in addition to creating 8 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In reference to defense, Mercer allowed the other team to go 41.7% from the floor on 25 out of 60 shooting. South Alabama dished out 13 dimes and had 8 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, South Alabama pulled down 41 boards (11 offensive, 30 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. South Alabama went 68.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 17 of their 25 attempts. They also knocked down 8 of 32 shots from distance. Concerning personal fouls, the Bears walked away with 17 and South Alabama racked up 11 personal fouls.

Tyler Johnson is a player who had an impact for the game. He ended up finishing with 26 points on 9 of 16 shooting. He played for 35 minutes and also snagged 2 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 56.3% from the floor but wasn't able to get an assist.

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Mercer heads into this one with a mark of 2-2 this season. They average 89.0 points per contest (25th in the country) while hitting 47.7% from the floor. The Bears are shooting 33.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (41 of 123) and 66.2% from the free throw line. As a team, Mercer is pulling down 44.5 boards per game and has accumulated 74 assists for the campaign, which is 88th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 14.3 times per contest and as a squad they commit 16.8 fouls every game.

On defense, the Bears are able to force 17.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 14.0 personal fouls. They are ranked 162nd in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 51 conceded for the campaign. The Bears defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 38.5% (95 of 247) and they surrender 37.3 boards per contest as a team. They are relinquishing 25.0% on shots from distance and they are 111th in college hoops in opponents PPG (66.8).

When they last stepped on the court, the South Carolina Gamecocks took a loss by a final score of 87-71 when they played Indiana. The Gamecocks were able to collect 20 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 in this matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while recording 4 steals for this game. Indiana committed 21 fouls for the game which took the Gamecocks to the free throw line for 23 attempts. They were able to knock down 15 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 65.2%. When it comes to shots from beyond the arc, South Carolina made 8 of their 29 tries (27.6%). When the game finished, the Gamecocks went 24 for 63 from the floor which gave them a rate of 38.1%. The Gamecocks allowed Indiana to bury 26 of 51 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.0% in the game. They finished 47.1% from downtown by shooting 8 of 17 and ended up shooting 27 of 33 from the free throw line (81.8%). Concerning how they attacked the glass, South Carolina permitted Indiana to get 34 overall (7 offensive).

Morris Ugusuk was important for the Gamecocks in the game. He had 18 points in his 28 mins of playing time and totaled 1 assist for the contest. He made 5 out of 8 for the contest giving him a rate of 62.5%, and earned 3 rebounds.

South Carolina has a mark of 2-2 on the year. The Gamecocks commit 19.0 fouls per game and they go 67.0% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 15.5 times per contest (133rd in the country) and they turn the ball over 12.5 times per contest. South Carolina has totaled 308 points on the season (77.0 per contest) and they pull in 40.3 rebounds per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Gamecocks are hitting on 45.1% from the field, which ranks 200th in the country.

The Gamecocks defensively are ranked 166th in the country in points allowed per contest with 69.8. They are forcing 11.0 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 39.4% from the floor (97th in college basketball). The South Carolina defense gives up 29.9% on shots from distance (26 of 87) and their opposition makes 63.6% of their free throw attempts. They concede 10.0 assists and 36.0 total rebounds per game, which ranks 56th and 249th in those categories on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Mercer

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