South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Auburn Tigers Picks and Prediction for Saturday, January 17, 2026
Use Code WWWC It’s a contest on the hardwood between SEC foes as the South Carolina Gamecocks travel to the Yellowhammer State to battle the Auburn Tigers Saturday evening and we have you covered with our South Carolina vs. Auburn prediction. South Carolina was whipped 108-74 on the road by #17 Arkansas in their previous contest Wednesday night, failing to cover the line as a 12.5-point underdog. Auburn fell 84-74 at Missouri in their previous game Wednesday night, losing outright as a 1.5-point favorite. In the all-time series between the programs, the Tigers own a 33-17 advantage and have won the last nine meetings, including a 66-63 road win in the most recent matchup January 11, 2025. Read more about this South Carolina vs. Auburn prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
South Carolina Looking to Get Back in Win Column
South Carolina dropped their second straight and third in the last four games as they were walloped by #17 Arkansas on the road in their previous contest Wednesday night. The Gamecocks fell to 10-7 overall and stand 1-3 in SEC action on the season with the loss. Against Arkansas, South Carolina took their lone lead at 7-6 with 17:52 to play in the first half before giving up 16 of the next 21 points to trail 22-12 with 11:36 to play before intermission and never recovered. The Gamecocks were down 12 at the half and by as many as 43 en route to the loss. South Carolina shot 44.4% from the floor, including seven of 30 from three-point range, and allowed Arkansas to shoot 58.9% in the game. Meechie Johnson led the Gamecocks with 29 points and six assists in the win.
The Gamecocks put up an average of 79.2 points per game this season, leaving them 131st in the nation in scoring offense. South Carolina collects 34.2 boards a night (274th) while dishing out 14.9 assists per contest. The Gamecocks are above average on the defensive end, ranking 134th in the country by allowing 71.8 points a night. Meechie Johnson is one of three players averaging in double figures on the team as he averages 14.7 points plus 4.1 assists per game this season. Eli Ellis (9.9 points, 2.2 assists), Mike Sharavjamts (11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds) and Myles Stute (7.4 points, 4.1 rebounds) are solid secondary scoring options. Kobe Knox, Elijah Strong (11.3 points), Jordan Butler, Grant Polk, Nordin Kapic, Hayden Assemian and Christ Essandoko each are looked at to contribute on both ends of the floor. South Carolina shoots 46.3% from the field on the year. The Gamecocks knock down 8.6 triples per game (126th) while shooting 31.4% from beyond the arc as a team. South Carolina is sinking 78.7% of their attempts at the line, putting them 7th in Division I this season.
Key Injury Report for South Carolina:
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- Forward Jordan Butler (undisclosed) is questionable.
- Guard Grant Polk (undisclosed) is questionable.
Tigers Seeking to Maintain Home Success
Auburn lost for the fourth time in six games as they were dropped on the road by Missouri in their previous contest Wednesday night. The Tigers fell to 10-7 overall and 1-3 in SEC action on the year as they take the floor here. Against Missouri, Auburn led 12-5 with 13:37 to play in the first half but trailed by four at intermission. The Tigers got no closer than two in the second half and trailed by as many as 13 en route to the loss. Auburn shot 40.7% from the field, including six of 21 from three-point range, and allowed Missouri to shoot 56.3% in the contest. Elyjah Freeman and Kevin Overton each had 13 points to lead Auburn in the loss.
The Tigers come into this contest 29th in the nation in scoring offense as they put up an average of 86.7 points per game on the year. Auburn pulls down an average of 38.5 rebounds per contest (80th) while they are 174th by dishing out an average of 14.5 assists per game. The Tigers are below average defensively as they are 313th in scoring defense by allowing an average of 79.4 points a night. Keyshawn Hall leads the Tigers offensively and is one of five players averaging in double figures as he puts up 20.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season. KeShawn Murphy (10.1 points, 6.3 rebounds), Sebastian Williams-Adams (7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds), Elyjah Freeman (10.6 points, 4.8 boards) and Kevin Overton (12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds) are solid secondary scoring options. Tahaad Pettiford (14 points), Emeka Opurum, Filip Jovic, Kaden Magwood, Abdul Bashir and Blake Muschalek are all looked at to contribute for coach Steven Pearl. Auburn shoots 47.2% from the field as a team on the season, which is 89th in the nation. The Tigers knock down an average of 8.5 three-pointers a night (136th) while shooting 34.4% from beyond the arc on the year, which is 161st in the nation. Auburn has been average at the charity stripe as they convert 72.4% of their attempts on the season, which is 167th in the country.
Key Injury Report for Auburn:
- Center Emeka Opurum (undisclosed) is out.
- Guard Abdul Bashir (illness) is questionable.
South Carolina vs. Auburn Pick
South Carolina vs. Auburn Spread Pick
- Auburn -10.5 (4 units)
Both teams have stumbled entering this game as South Carolina has lost three of their previous four while Auburn has dropped four of six. The Gamecocks are just 1-2 on the road with losses at Clemson and Arkansas sandwiching a win over LSU. Auburn, even with their recent struggles, is 7-1 at home with the lone blemish a two-point defeat to Texas A&M back on January 6. The Tigers routed the Arkansas squad that just bombed the Gamecocks in Fayetteville by 22 points at home last Saturday. Look for Auburn to take care of business here and drop the hammer on a struggling South Carolina squad.
South Carolina vs. Auburn Over/Under Pick
- Over 151.5 (4 units)
South Carolina has gone over the number in 10 of their 17 games on the year. The Gamecocks are 81st in offensive efficiency, 88th in effective field goal percentage (53.7%), 25th in two-point shooting (59.7%) and 7th in free throw shooting on the year. South Carolina is 293rd in adjusted tempo according to KenPom with 65.7 possessions a game. Auburn has gone over the total in 12 of their 17 games on the year. The Tigers are 9th in offensive efficiency, 78th in effective field goal percentage (54.2%), 10th in offensive rebound percentage (39.7%) and 16th in free throw rate (.455 FT attempts per FG attempt) this season. The Tigers are 188th in tempo with 67.9 possessions per game. Look for Auburn to pile up points and put this one over the mark.
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