Halftime Report
Jax. State is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Coastal Carolina 38-21.
Jax. State has yet to string together two consecutive wins, but this may be their chance. For now, things are looking good for them.
Who’s Playing
Jax. State Gamecocks @ Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Current Records: Jax. State 2-1, Coastal Carolina 1-2
How To Watch
What to Know
Coastal Carolina will be in front of their home fans on Sunday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will host the Jax. State Gamecocks at 2:00 p.m. ET at HTC Center. The Chanticleers might want some stickum for this one as the team gave up 19 turnovers on Wednesday.
Last Wednesday, Coastal Carolina came up short against North Carolina State and fell 82-70. The Chanticleers have now taken an ‘L’ in back-to-back games.
Despite their defeat, Coastal Carolina saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Rasheed Jones, who went 6 for 10 en route to 17 points plus five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Denzel Hines, who went 5 for 8 en route to 14 points plus eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Jax. State was able to grind out a solid victory over Georgia State on Wednesday, taking the game 72-67. The win came about thanks to a strong surge starting at the 8:31 mark of the second half, when the Gamecocks were facing a 60-47 deficit.
Jax. State got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jaron Pierre Jr. out in front who posted 27 points along with five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Nicholson, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Coastal Carolina now has a losing record at 1-2. As for Jax. State, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Coastal Carolina has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.7 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Jax. State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 48. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Odds
Jax. State is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Coastal Carolina, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Chanticleers as a 2-point favorite.
The over/under is 136 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
