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South Carolina vs. Georgia: How to watch, odds, predictions from ESPN, KenPom

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•01/27/23
Mike White, Georgia Bulldogs basketball coach
Georgia basketball coach Mike White looks on during a game on Nov. 11, 2022. (Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)

Georgia and South Carolina are both fighting through conference play and looking to pull off some improbable finishes to steal an NCAA Tournament berth. First they’ll have to claw past the other in a Saturday matchup that will be more eliminator than resume-builder for the both of them.

How to watch South Carolina vs. Georgia

Tip-off: 6 p.m. ET

Location: Athens, Ga.

Channel: SEC Network

Vegas odds

The Bulldogs are an 11-point favorite over the Gamecocks, according to lines listed at VegasInsider.

ESPN BPI prediction

Predicted winner: Georgia

Predicted point differential: 15.0

Win probability (for Georgia): 91.8%

Matchup quality: 43.0

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 the game ranked as the 89th highest-rated game on Thursday’s slate in terms of matchup quality.

KenPom prediction

Predicted final score: Georgia 72, South Carolina 60

Win probability (for Georgia): 86%

More on South Carolina vs. Georgia

Georgia is still fighting for an outside shot at the NCAA Tournament, clinging to a 13-7 record and needing a big-time finish in SEC play to play its way into the field. The latest bracketology released by Joe Lunardi didn’t have Georgia in the field, nor did it have the Bulldogs in the first four out or next four out categories.

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So there’s work to be done. And sometimes that work includes simply surviving.

South Carolina is not the type of team Georgia can sustain a loss to and still entertain ideas of making the postseason. The Gamecocks have been quite bad at times this season, currently on a four-game losing streak.

The last time the Gamecocks manufactured a win it came at Kentucky in a shocking win. So Georgia needs to be aware that South Carolina is capable of putting together 40 minutes of winning basketball at times. Will that be Saturday?

Most of the projections suggest otherwise, but that’s why they play the games.