Picks for 12/17/24
College Basketball
7:00 PM EST
Rotation #607
Clemson -2 over South Carolina (loss)
Clemson is the much better basketball program this season. The only advantage South Carolina has is they are the home team. The Tigers have a better defense and have played a more demanding schedule. Clemson takes the best available shot on offense as they milk the shot clock and then play rock-solid defense on the other end of the court. The Gamecocks lost their top three players from a year ago. Meechie Johnson, Ta’Lon Cooper, and BJ Mack accounted for a lot of their scoring, and I don’t see South Carolina making up for their production at this point in the year. South Carolina did OK in the transfer portal but didn’t hit a home run. Tigers forward Ian Schieffelin is more physical than any player on the Gamecocks roster and should secure a lot of rebounds. Chase Hunter is off to a solid start in his senior season and should lead the team in scoring. South Carolina isn’t a team that can win scrappy by throwing their weight around as they are on the lighter side. Take Clemson.