South Carolina Gamecocks vs. LSU Tigers Picks, Prediction, Odds and Line Movement for Tuesday, January 6, 2026
It’s a SEC contest on the hardwood as the South Carolina Gamecocks travel to the Pelican State to battle the LSU Tigers Tuesday evening and we have you covered with our South Carolina vs. LSU prediction. South Carolina comes in off an 83-71 home loss to #11 Vanderbilt in their previous contest Saturday, failing to cover the line as a 9.5-point underdog. LSU was downed 75-72 on the road by Texas A&M Saturday in their previous contest, covering the line as a six-point underdog. In the all-time series between the teams, each team has recorded 20 victories though the Tigers picked up an 81-67 home win in the most recent meeting, which came February 18, 2025. Read more about this Texas vs. LSU prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
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South Carolina Looking to Win Conference Road Opener
South Carolina battled but didn’t have enough firepower to keep up with #11 Vanderbilt in their previous contest Saturday. The Gamecocks dropped to 9-5 overall and stand 0-1 in SEC play as they try to even their conference mark with a road win. Against Vanderbilt, South Carolina took their last lead at 4-2 as they gave up the next 13 points to trail 15-4 with 14:05 remaining in the first half and played from behind the rest of the way. The Gamecocks trailed by eight at the half and by as many as 18 in the second half while getting no closer than six en route to the loss. South Carolina shot 43.1% from the floor, including seven of 28 from three-point range, and lost the battle of the boards by a 37-25 margin. Elijah Strong led the Gamecocks with 17 points in the loss.
The Gamecocks put up an average of 80.3 points per game this season, leaving them 124th in the nation in scoring offense. South Carolina collects 34.5 boards a night (270th) while dishing out 15.3 assists per contest. The Gamecocks are above average on the defensive end, ranking 88th in the country by allowing 69.3 points a night. Meechie Johnson is one of four players averaging in double figures on the team as he averages 13.6 points plus 3.8 assists per game this season. Eli Ellis (10.1 points, 2.5 assists), Mike Sharavjamts (11.9 points, 5.7 rebounds) and Myles Stute (eight points, 4.5 rebounds) are solid secondary scoring options. Kobe Knox, Elijah Strong (10.3 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 46.7% from the field on the year. The Gamecocks knock down 8.6 triples per game (126th) while shooting 30.8% from beyond the arc as a team. South Carolina is sinking 79.4% of their attempts at the line, putting them 2nd in Division I this season.
Key Injury Report for South Carolina:
- Forward Christ Essandoko (ankle) is questionable.
Tigers Seeking to Prevail at Home
LSU saw their four-game win streak snapped as they fell short on the road against Texas A&M in their previous contest Saturday. The Tigers fell to 12-2 overall and 0-1 in the SEC as they try to get back on track at home here. Against Texas A&M, LSU led by as many as two and trailed by as many as eight in the first half before trailing by three at intermission. The Tigers trailed by as many as 10 in the second half only to rally to lead 66-64 with 2:57 remaining. LSU gave up the next five points and never got even again to wind up with the loss. The Tigers shot 46.3% from the field, including six of 19 from three-point range, but turned the ball over 16 times in the contest. Mike Nwoko led LSU with 21 points and five rebounds in the loss.
The Tigers are putting up 87.8 points per game on the season, putting them 28th in the nation in scoring offense. LSU collects 39.4 rebounds per game (68th) and dishes out an average of 15.9 assists per contest. The Tigers are average defensively as they come in 130th in scoring defense by allowing 71.3 points per night. Mike Nwoko is leading the team with 16.4 points plus 5.5 rebounds per contest on the year. Dedan Thomas Jr. (16.2 points, 7.1 assists), Max Mackinnon (13.5 points, 2.7 rebounds) and Marquel Sutton (13.4 points) are capable secondary scorers. Jalen Reed, Pablo Tamba, Robert Miller III, Rashad King, Jalen Reece and PJ Carter are all part of the rotation for Matt MacMahon’s Tigers. LSU shoots 51.1% from the field as a team on the year. The Tigers connect on 6.9 triples a night while shooting 33.2% from beyond the arc. LSU has been above average at the charity stripe, knocking down 78.1% of their chances this season, putting them 15th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for LSU:
- Forward Jalen Reed (Achilles) is out for the season.
- Guard Dedan Thomas Jr. (undisclosed) is questionable.
South Carolina vs. LSU Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tony Karpinski | +2,494.00 |
| 2 |  Joe Duffy | +1,859.00 |
| 3 |  The Insiders Room | +1,788.00 |
| 4 |  Mark Ruelle | +1,428.00 |
| 5 |  Jackie Mack | +1,400.00 |
South Carolina vs. LSU Spread Pick
- LSU -6.5 (4 units)
Both teams come in off losses in their conference openers but LSU has had more success in the early going. The Gamecocks face the hardest remaining strength of schedule in the nation as the SEC occupies the top 16 spots in the nation. South Carolina has struggled against their toughest foes this season. The Gamecocks dropped their lone road game this season, falling to Clemson in mid-December, and stand 0-2 on neutral floors this year. They are 0-5 against teams ranked in the top 65 of the KenPom rankings while five of their wins are over teams ranked 312th or worse. LSU is ranked 37th and stand 8-0 at home with a win over SMU. Give the advantage to the Tigers here as they get back in the win column.
South Carolina vs. LSU Over/Under Pick
- Under 148.5 (4 units)
South Carolina has gone over the number in eight of their 14 games on the year. The Gamecocks are 86th in offensive efficiency, 80th in effective field goal percentage (54.2%), 16th in two-point shooting (61.7%) and 2nd in free throw shooting on the year. South Carolina is 290th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom with 66.3 possessions a game. LSU is 61st in defensive efficiency, 43rd in effective field goal percentage defense (47%), 56th in field goal percentage defense (40.4%), 26th in two-point defense (45.1%) and 201st in three-point defense (33.2%) this season. The Tigers are slightly above average in terms of tempo as they are 166th in adjusted tempo with 68.9 possessions a night. LSU has seen the under post an 8-6 mark in their 14 games on the year. If the Gamecocks keep their tempo, this game winds up falling short of the number.
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