Coppin State vs. South Carolina State: College Basketball Predictions (Wednesday)
Conference tournament season is finally upon us. Whether you want to wager on the power conferences, mid-majors or somewhere in between, we have you covered on this Wednesday slate. Our top men’s college basketball picks today begin with an SEC Tournament matchup between Mississippi State and LSU.
Wyoming vs. San Jose State makes for an intriguing first-round game in the Mountain West Tournament. Finally, let’s wrap it up with a MEAC Tournament battle between South Carolina State and Coppin State because why not?
Note that all betting lines are accurate as of this writing, but shop around for the best odds. Enjoy these college basketball picks and predictions for Wednesday, March 12’s game Coppin State vs. South Carolina State.
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Wednesday's Best College Basketball Bets: Coppin State vs. South Carolina State
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Coppin State vs. South Carolina State
Power conference tournaments are dominating college basketball headlines this week. However, we still have a ton of NCAA Tournament bids to hand out from the mid-major ranks across the country. Let's turn our attention to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) as the South Carolina State Bulldogs take on the Coppin State Eagles.
There's a clear team to back in this matchup and only us diehards will have action on it. The MEAC was a two-horse race with South Carolina State and Norfolk State finishing as co-champs in the regular season with 11-3 league records. It would be a big upset if neither team won the MEAC Tournament.
South Carolina State's quest begins tonight in a cupcake matchup. Coppin State went 6-23 this season and 4-10 in league play. Eight of their 10 conference losses came by double-digits as well in one of the country's worst leagues overall. Out of 364 Division I teams, the Eagles rank 360th in NET Rankings and 362nd at KenPom. Yikes.
Meanwhile, South Carolina State is riding a nine-game winning streak coming into today. The Bulldogs are 195th in NET Rankings and 191st at KenPom. Those aren't great numbers either but they're miles ahead of the rest of the MEAC.
South Carolina State boasts the best defensive efficiency in the MEAC while also leading the conference in defensive turnover and steal rates. That's trouble for Coppin State, which is last in offensive turnover rate. The Eagles' offense is also dead last in the MEAC in efficiency, block rate, rebounding rate and steal rate.
It's hard to imagine Coppin State scoring much in this matchup. That was the case last month when it lost by 30 to South Carolina State and mustered only 57 points. The Eagles also suffered an 18-point home loss to the Bulldogs earlier in the year.
On the other end of the court, South Carolina State ranks 28th nationally in offensive rebounding rate. It's fifth among all Division I schools in free-throw attempts rate. The catalyst for both stats is dominant center Drayton Jones. He will control the paint on both ends tonight to anchor a comfortable victory.
If you're scared off by the large spread, check out these trends. South Carolina State is 13-2-1 ATS as a favorite this season, including 6-1-1 ATS as a road/neutral favorite. It's also 10-3-1 ATS in conference play. Coppin State has lost by 24 and 17 points in the conference tournament opener over the past two years.
Pick: South Carolina State -14.5 (-120)