South Carolina Gamecocks vs LSU Tigers Prediction, 1/6/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: South Carolina Gamecocks vs LSU Tigers

Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Location: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA

TV: ESPNU

The LSU Tigers (12-2) host the South Carolina Gamecocks (9-5) at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Tuesday.

The South Carolina Gamecocks played Vanderbilt and took a loss by a final of 83-71 in their last contest. South Carolina wrapped up the contest with a 43.1% FG percentage (25 out of 58) and made 7 of their 28 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Gamecocks made 14 of 18 shots for a rate of 77.8%. In terms of hauling in boards, they compiled 24 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 15 assists for this contest as well as forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and having 4 steals. When talking about defending, South Carolina allowed the other team to go 50.9% from the floor on 29 out of 57 shooting. Vanderbilt earned 17 assists and had 2 steals for the matchup. In addition, Vanderbilt collected 36 rebounds (8 offensive, 28 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Vanderbilt went 83.3% from the charity stripe by making 15 of 18 attempts. They knocked down 10 of their 23 attempts from three-point range. When discussing personal fouls, the Gamecocks walked away with 15 while Vanderbilt had 15 personal fouls.

Elijah Strong is a player who was important for the contest. He ended up scoring 17 points on 6 of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 20 minutes and collected 4 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 50.0% from the floor and also distributed 2 dimes.

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South Carolina comes into this game with a record of 9-5 on the campaign. They are averaging 80.3 points per contest (124th in D-1) while hitting 46.7% from the field. The Gamecocks are connecting on 30.8% on three-point shots (121 of 393) and 79.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, South Carolina is grabbing 34.5 rebounds per contest and has tallied 214 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 193rd in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 9.9 times per game and as a team are committing 17.2 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Gamecocks are forcing 10.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.0 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 115th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 183 surrendered so far this season. The Gamecocks defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.9% (355 of 827) and they concede 32.9 boards per game as a squad. They are surrendering 30.2% on 3-pointers while they are 90th in college in points per game from their opponents (69.3).

The last time they took the court, the LSU Tigers went home defeated by a final of 75-72 against Texas A&M. With respect to rebounding, LSU allowed Texas A&M to get 37 overall (14 on the offensive glass). They finished 28.6% from three-point range by shooting 8 out of 28 and ended up shooting 15 of 21 from the free throw line (71.4%). The Tigers permitted Texas A&M to make 26 out of 62 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.9% for the game. In all, the Tigers finished the game shooting 25 out of 54 from the field which had them shooting 46.3%. In terms of 3-point shots, LSU knocked down 6 out of their 19 attempts (31.6%). They were able to convert 16 of them for a percentage of 80.0%. Texas A&M earned 15 personal fouls for the game which got the Tigers to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They also turned it over 14 times, while getting 12 steals for the matchup. The Tigers collected 23 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 in the matchup.

Michael Nwoko ended up being important for the Tigers in this matchup. He knocked down 7 out of 10 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 70.0%, and earned 5 rebounds. He earned 21 points in his 26 minutes on the court and had 1 assist in this matchup.

LSU has a win-loss record of 12-2 for the year. The Tigers have committed 18.0 fouls per contest and they go 78.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.9 times per contest (106th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.9 times per game. LSU has totaled 1,229 points for the season (87.8 per contest) and they grab 39.4 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Tigers are shooting 51.1% from the field, which has them ranked 19th in Division 1.

The LSU defense gives up 33.2% on shots from 3-point land (113 of 340) and opponents are converting on 67.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 11.1 assists and 32.4 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 42nd and 81st in D-1. The Tigers on the defensive end are ranked 130th in the nation in points per game surrendered with 71.3. They are able to force 11.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 40.4% from the field (57th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take South Carolina

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