South Carolina Is Being Disrespected

South Carolina vs. Auburn, 8:30 ET

Today is Valentine's Day. My personal favorite candy is Reese's, but I also enjoy Sour Patch Kids or the always useful money. If you're going to get anyone a gift for Valentine's Day it should be me. Why is that? Because I've built your bankroll with these picks on college basketball for the past week or so and you should be able to get your significant other whatever they want. We took down another two games last night and are now 3-0 early on in this week. We are focused in on a game tonight between South Carolina and Auburn. 

South Carolina has one of the best records in the country at the moment, sitting at 21-3. The three losses that have happened this season are against Clemson, Alabama, and Georgia. The losses against Clemson and Alabama were on the road, but the one to Georgia was a five-point home loss. The only truly bad loss on their schedule this season was against Alabama. They lost that game by almost 30 points. They weren't really missing anyone substantial from that game so I'm not quite sure how they were blown out by so much. In any case, it led me to start looking at some of their other games - they were able to beat Tennessee on the road, Georgia on the road, and Kentucky in South Carolina. They've only played three games against a ranked opponent this season and are 2-1 in those games. The Gamecocks have a fairly deep rotation, with 10 guys on the team averaging 10 or more minutes played per game. They only have three guys in double figures, but another two are averaging roughly nine points per game. They have a ton of athletic guards who find ways to attack the basket, but I don't consider most of the team good shooters from the outside. They will need to find a way to knock down the outside shots they do take in order to compete against Auburn tonight. 

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - MARCH 18: Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers gestures down court during the second half against the Houston Cougars in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 18, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Auburn is ranked #13 in the nation and comes into the game with a 19-5 record. Over the past five games, Auburn is just 3-2, having lost to Mississippi State and Florida. Both of those losses came on the road. Their other losses were also on the road or on a neutral court. Their loss at Florida on Saturday was their first truly bad loss of the season. They dropped that game by 16 points and the other four losses were by 21 points combined. Auburn will certainly have the edge in the front court with two very strong forwards in Johni Broome who averages 16 points and almost nine rebounds per game, and Jaylin Williams who is putting up 13 points and five boards per game. South Carolina will have a hard time containing both of them and will all need to do gang rebounding in order to keep Auburn to just one possession and limit the putback opportunities. Auburn should shoot pretty well from outside at home, but they aren't great from deep. Auburn also has a strong rotation with 10 players finding meaningful minutes that can contribute to the game. 

I'm a little shocked at this line. South Carolina is getting 11.5 points in this game. They've played very well this season and I understand they are on the road, but I'm surprised that they aren't getting a bit more respect. They've played well in this situation. If I was the coach, I'd show my team this line as motivation. I'm taking the points in this game and will even sprinkle a very small amount on the +500 moneyline. I get that there is a chance Auburn's defense locks in after their loss, but I think South Carolina should be only a +7 or lower dog in this game. 

Friday we went to Joey's Kairos return ceremony. He was the leader and came home so we go and listen to him and the other kids talk about their experiences. It was nice. Joey broke down a little bit at the end and said some nice things. He said "David, you've been there for me at my lowest and are my best friend." before he started crying and came and gave us a hug. I'm more sharing it so I remember (it always helps when I write things down). It was a nice comment from him. Some of the other kids had some very heartwrenching comments to their parents as well. 

Saturday Frannie had two basketball games and a volleyball game scheduled. I say scheduled because she only went to a half of the second basketabll game. She was at some Valentine's thing that Bernadette took her to at her aunts house. I was kinda pissed about it, but whatever. She showed up for the second game and ended up getting a steal and a layup which was cool. Then we rushed to get from Aurora to Tinley Park for the volleyball game, only to find out that the other team didn't show up so our girls just scrimmaged. Just watched tv and did some prep for our food for Sunday. 

Sunday was the Super Bowl and Frannie had some volleyball games. We had a lot of people here. It was kinda nice. I made a brisket, three slabs of ribs, peking duck, and a bunch of chicken legs. We had appetizers and stuff too. Watched the game, then cleaned the house. I'm pretty exhausted now. You?