Mississippi State vs. South Carolina: How to watch, odds, picks, final score predictions from ESPN, KenPom

Mississippi State and South Carolina are gearing up to square off Tuesday night as SEC play starts back up. Ahead of the game, predictions and betting odds — including KenPom analytics — are rolling in.

How to watch Mississippi State vs. South Carolina

Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. ET

Location: Columbia, South Carolina

Channel: SEC Network

Vegas odds

Mississippi State is a 9.5-point favorite over South Carolina on Thursday, according to VegasInsider. The over-under is set at 126.5 points.

ESPN BPI prediction

Predicted winner: Mississippi State

Predicted point differential: 11.5

Win probability (for Mississippi State): 87.9%

Matchup quality: 50.3

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a tool that measures team strength and uses that to predict outcomes of future performances. ESPN’s BPI has Mississippi State vs. South Carolina ranked as the 21st highest-rated game on Thursday’s slate in terms of matchup quality.

KenPom prediction

Predicted final score: Mississippi State 66, South Carolina 56

Win probability (for Mississippi State): 80%

KenPom is another tool that provides advanced analysis across college basketball. Like ESPN, KenPom projects the Bulldogs come away with a victory over the Gamecocks.

Chris Jans isn’t letting Mississippi State overlook South Carolina

Mississippi State almost beat No. 2 Alabama on the road, and took down No. 11 TCU in the Big 12/SEC Challenge all in the past week, but still enter the final days of January with a 1-7 conference record.

That isn’t lost on Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans, who is looking at their upcoming matchup against South Carolina as a must-win game heading in February. Before tip-off Tuesday night, Jans is making sure his team isn’t overlooking the Gamecocks, who have the worst overall record (8-13) in the conference.

“I certainly hope we wouldn’t do that considering where we are at and how we need to get an SEC win in the worst way. It’s been addressed,” Jans said Monday. “We met last night to try to reset the week, if you will. We certainly watched clips of the TCU game, good, bad and ugly, like we always do. Take a little break then set the tone for the scout for South Carolina.

“I made sure that they understood what (South Carolina’s) program is thinking about right now. They have us that doesn’t have a glossy record coming into their gym. They are in the same mode that we are, just hungry to get a win.”