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posted February 27, 2008 at 18:21 in NCAA B Free Picks

BetUS NCAAB basketball betting odds: SOUTH CAROLINA -5.5, Total 137

Two teams on the wrong side of the .500 mark in the Southeastern Conference will meet up on Wednesday night, but the game will not be without intrigue, as the LSU Tigers (10-16 SU, 7-14 ATS) visit Columbia to play the Gamecocks of South Carolina (12-14 SU, 11-11 ATS) in a game that is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM ET at the Colonial Center.

In the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds, South Carolina is listed as a 5.5-point favorite, with a total of 137 points.

Here are some of the NCAAB betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* LSU has covered five of its last seven games

* LSU has lost 12 of its last 15 games SU

* LSU has covered four of its last six road games

* LSU has lost 19 of its last 23 road games SU

* LSU has played five straight road games OVER the total

* SC has lost four of its last five games SU

* SC has played eight of its last 12 games UNDER the total

* SC has covered two of its last six home games

* SC has lost five of its last seven home games

* SC has played its last five home games UNDER the total

* LSU has won and covered four of the last six meetings

* SC has covered four of the last six meetings as the home team

* LSU has had the shooting edge in four of the last six meetings

* LSU has had the rebounding edge in five of the last seven meetings

South Carolina is throwing bricks from the free throw line (53% vs. Mississippi State, 50% against Florida) which is something you don't want to see when you're backing a sub-.500 team that is laying points. Perhaps that especially applies in this case, as LSU has shown some signs of bouncing back under the interim coach, Butch Pierre, who is angling for the full-time position after John Brady was let go.

It has been impressive the way Pierre has gotten more enthusiastic efforts out of this team that made it to the Final Four a couple of years ago, and in fact still has point guard/defensive stopper Garrett Temple from that club - and who may be able to commit some harassment on SC's outstanding floor leader, Devan Downey. Freshman Anthony Randolph (14.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg) is also going to be a pain in the neck for the Gamecocks, who can't win a battle of the boards with hardly anyone.

Quality results against Ole Miss (69-49 win), Kentucky (67-63 defeat), Florida (85-73 win) and Tennessee (47-45 loss) indicate that LSU is definitely carrying a new attitude into battle lately. As such, we'll be happy to take 5.5 points with LSU, the underdog in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: LSU

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)