Auburn basketball vs. South Carolina: Our scouting report, score prediction
AUBURN — Auburn basketball is rolling.
The No. 17 Tigers have won four straight and six of their last seven, with the latest win being an 18-point victory over LSU on Wednesday. Wendell Green Jr. scored in double digits for the fourth consecutive game. The last time he didn't log at least 10 points was in Auburn's most recent loss against Georgia on Jan. 4.
South Carolina (8-10, 1-4), meanwhile, has dropped all but one of its contests since conference play began, topping Kentucky on Jan. 10 but losing to Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks have failed to crack 60 points in their last three losses and were only able to muster 42 against the Vols in a 43-point blowout on Jan. 7.
The Gamecocks are the first SEC team on Auburn's schedule with a losing record, a fact the Tigers will look to take advantage of in Colonial Life Arena on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network). Here's a scouting report for the South Carolina game, and our score prediction.
A struggling offense
For all of Auburn's offensive issues this season, the Tigers are still averaging 8.5 more points per game than South Carolina. The Gamecocks are posting an SEC-worst 63.7 points per contest, a mark that also puts them in the bottom 20 nationally.
South Carolina also has the worst shooting numbers from the field (39.8%), the second-worst mark at the free-throw line (63.7%) and the fifth-worst percentage from 3-point range (31.7%) in the SEC. The Gamecocks also only average 10.8 assists, which ranks last in the conference, too.
The inefficiency from deep hasn't stopped them from hoisting attempts from beyond the 3-point arc, though. The Gamecocks have shot 432 threes. The only teams in the SEC that've attempted more are Alabama (528), Missouri (481) and Vanderbilt (451), which are all teams Auburn has yet to play.
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Defensive woes
The other side of the ball hasn't been much kinder to South Carolina. The Gamecocks are allowing 72.2 points per game and are last in the conference in total steals with 86. Their 2.8 blocks per game are only ahead of LSU and Texas A&M.
And despite all of their missed shots, the Gamecocks only average 34.4 rebounds and are middle of the pack on the offensive glass. Only one South Carolina player averages over five boards and not a single one is averaging a full steal or block.
Freshman leads the way
Coach Lamont Paris and freshman GG Jackson are both in their first years with the program, and although the team success hasn't quite been there, Jackson has individually been impressive.
The 6-foot-9 forward isn't exactly putting the conference on notice like Alabama freshman Brandon Miller is, but Jackson leads South Carolina with 15.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Jackson, like the rest of his team, isn't very efficient, though. He's shooting 38.7% from the field and 62.7% from the free-throw line.
Jackson has played the most minutes on the team (598) and his player efficiency rating of 14.8 is behind only junior forward Josh Gray.
Score prediction
Auburn 77, South Carolina 63: The Tigers are streaking, and losing this game against an inferior opponent would stymie the momentum they've built up over the last couple of weeks. They should be able to handle the Gamecocks on both ends of the floor, though, and return home with their fifth straight win.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball score prediction vs. South Carolina: Scouting report
