The South Carolina Gamecocks take on the Butler Bulldogs in White Sulphur Springs, WV, as part of the Greenbrier Tip-Off (Mountain Division). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Butler is favored by -1.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -135. The total is set at 154.5 points.
Here’s my South Carolina vs. Butler prediction and college basketball picks for November 21, 2025.
South Carolina vs Butler Prediction
My Pick: Under 154.5 (Play to 151)
My South Carolina vs Butler best bet is on the under. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
South Carolina vs. Butler Odds
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -105 | 154.5 -110 / -110 | +110 |
| Butler Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -115 | 154.5 -110 / -110 | -130 |
- South Carolina vs Butler spread: Butler -1.5
- South Carolina vs Butler over/under: 154.5 points
- South Carolina vs Butler moneyline: South Carolina +110, Butler -130
South Carolina vs Butler College Basketball Betting Preview
South Carolina Basketball
The Gamecocks have passed the test thus far, winning four games at home against cupcake competition for an SEC school.
That doesn't mean it was easy. South Carolina needed overtime to beat Southern Miss, which blew an 11-point lead in the game's final four minutes.
For the most part, the Gamecocks are checking a lot of the right boxes for success in the modern college game. They shoot a ton of 3s and make a solid percentage of them, while keeping their opponents off the 3-point line.
The offense is sparked by Meechie Johnson, who started his career at Ohio State, came to South Carolina for two seasons, returned to Ohio State for a year and is now back at South Carolina.
A few lesser known players on the roster could be real X-factors for Lamont Paris.
Mike Sharavjamts, the first ever Mongolian citizen to play Division I college hoops, is on his fourth school in as many years, but he's playing the best ball of his career as a stat stuffer on the wing. Also, freshman Eli Ellis is off to a hot start to his career, including 20 points in the win over Southern Miss.
Butler Basketball
Thad Matta's return to Butler hasn't been spectacular. He enters his fourth season back in Indianapolis without a winning season in the Big East.
So far, results have been better this year, with three blowout wins over lowly competition and a roller coaster two-point road loss at SMU.
The Bulldogs are led by junior point guard Finley Bizjack. The 6-foot-4 shooter is a rare breed in modern college basketball, entering his third year with Butler without ever dabbling in the transfer portal.
He's surrounded on the roster by players who did access the portal, most notably Michael Ajayi, formerly of Pepperdine and Gonzaga. He's been much more of a difference maker for Butler than he was for the Zags, posting 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists per game so far this season.
Ajayi is leading the charge as the Bulldogs attack the glass. Butler ranks fifth nationally in offensive rebounding rate, nabbing 45% of its own misses.
South Carolina vs. Butler Betting Analysis
So far this season, Butler appears to be playing faster, but some of that is skewed by small sample sizes. One of the Bulldogs' four games was a 90-possession hurricane against IU Indianapolis, the fastest team by tempo in college basketball by a wide margin.
Butler has still been more pace based than prior Matta teams, but I expect some regression in that regard as the schedule gets tougher. South Carolina likes things slow and always has throughout Paris' tenure.
This game should also be decided in the paint, with both defenses ranking in the top seven in the nation in percentage of field goal attempts allowed inside the arc coming into this game.
On top of that, Butler is likely due for some shooting regression. The Bulldogs are currently hitting more than 40% of their 3s this season, thanks to three outings of 44% from deep. In the only game where Butler didn't hit that mark, it hit 5-of-24 from outside.
In a slower-paced game, without a ton of shots from deep, I don't expect Butler to score much and the Gamecocks are comfortable playing that way as well.
I'll take the under based on those trends.
My Pick: Under 154.5 (Play to 151)
