NCAA Women’s Basketball Best Bets (Feb. 14): No. 3 South Carolina vs. No. 6 LSU Odds & Predictions

Valentine's Day is all about love. If you love college basketball, tonight’s NCAA women’s matchup featuring No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks vs. the No. 6 LSU Tigers is the game for you. There are a couple of other intriguing games featuring ranked teams.  But if you watch just one, it must be this one.

South Carolina is the higher-ranked team between the two and has won the last 17 matchups. LSU last beat the Gamecocks back in 2012. Can they finally get over that hump this season?

(Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

All picks for today's NCAA women's basketball matchups were made using odds found at FanDuel.

No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks vs. No. 6 LSU Tigers

If there is one thing you can count on other than death and taxes, it’s South Carolina having one of the best teams in basketball. That is certainly the case this season. The Gamecocks enter Saturday's game ranked No. 3 in the nation with a 24-2 record overall and are 10-1 in SEC games. They are averaging just under 90 points while allowing 55.7 points per game.

South Carolina is one of the best shooting teams in the country (field goal percentage—51.7, No. 3 in the country; effective field goal percentage—56.4%, No. 3). If there is one thing they don’t do well, it's three-pointers. That’s not entirely true. They rank No. 9 in the country in three-point percentage (37.9%), but don’t attempt many (No. 305, 16.1 per game) and make 6.1 per game (tied for No. 184).

LSU is seeking an elusive win over its SEC foe

As for LSU, the Tigers are like the Gamecocks in that they shoot well when they attempt three-pointers (38.2%, No. 7 in the country). But they attempt 14.4 (No. 335) and make 5.5 per game (No. 241). The Tigers do have one more loss than South Carolina, but two of them were to ranked teams (No. 11 Kentucky and No. 12 Vanderbilt) in back-to-back games.

They lost by two to Kentucky, 80-78, and by four to Vanderbilt, 65-61. Their third loss came recently, last Thursday (Feb. 5), as they fell to No. 4 Texas in Austin, 77-64. However, while any loss, no matter how close, is still a loss, the Tigers were a play or two away from getting the win in both.

LSU vs. South Carolina: My Pick

• South Carolina ML at -132 (FanDuel)

South Carolina is known for its talent and depth. Their second string could probably start for most major programs. But LSU has a talented group as well, and its depth is much improved compared to past years. They have the No. 1 offense in the country for a reason, and that hasn’t happened because of luck. Statistically, there isn’t a big difference between their defenses.

South Carolina is allowing 55.7 points per game, while LSU is giving up 57.8.

This game, like two of LSU’s other losses, will likely come down to one or two clutch plays down the stretch. Both teams have lost to Texas. Had LSU’s loss not just happened, I’d be inclined to lean towards the LSU ML. But since it did, I have to go with South Carolina.

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No. 16 Texas Tech Lady Raiders vs. Oklahoma State Cowgirls

• My Pick: Texas Tech ML at +116 (FanDuel)

This game is a classic case of one team excelling on offense (Oklahoma State) while the other excels on defense (Texas Tech). If you believe in ‘offense wins games,’ you’ll probably side with the Cowgirls. But they have gone 3-3 in their last six games, so clearly, you need more than offense. Texas Tech has won three in a row and is playing well on both ends of the court.

The Lady Raiders' defense will clamp down hard on the Cowgirls' offense if it continues to misfire, leading Texas Tech to a win.

No. 24 Princeton Tigers vs. Cornell Big Red

• My Pick: UNDER 123.5 at -114 (FanDuel)

Princeton is one of the best teams in the Ivy League, taking on one of the worst, Cornell. The Tigers play well on both ends of the court, the Big Red does not. Cornell does a slightly better job on the defensive end. It has held teams to 62 points per game compared to 64.1 for Princeton.

But the Big Red has one massive, glaring hole in its game, they can’t score (55.6 points per game, No. 343 in the nation). However, both teams play at such a slow rate that I do not have any confidence in the Tigers covering this spread (18.5 points). Nor do I have confidence that Cornell will play well enough to stay within that range. That makes the best bet an easy decision.