Howard vs. South Carolina State betting: College basketball preview for Jan. 3

Data Skrive
Data Skrive

The Howard Bison (9-6, 0-0 MEAC) visit the South Carolina State Bulldogs (1-14, 0-0 MEAC) in a matchup of MEAC teams at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center, starting at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 3, 2026. The Bulldogs are 9-point underdogs in the game. The matchup has an over/under of 145.5.

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Howard Cover -9 vs South Carolina State -110

Bet $20, Payout $38.18

Howard vs. South Carolina State betting lines

  • Howard moneyline odds to win: -500
  • South Carolina State moneyline odds to win: +373
  • Spread: Howard (-9)
  • Total: 145.5

Howard statistics, trends and more

As the away team

  • When playing at home, Howard has a worse record against the spread (2-2-0) compared to its ATS record in away games (4-2-0).
  • When it comes to point totals, the Bison hit the over less often at home, as they’ve gone over the total one time in four opportunities this season (25%). In away games, they have hit the over two times in six opportunities (33.3%).
  • Howard has played better as a moneyline favorite in home games, posting a home record of 1-1, compared to going 0-1 away from home.

Recent trends

  • The Bison’s offense has been improved over their last 10 games, racking up 74.6 points per contest compared to the 74.5 they’ve averaged this year.
  • Howard has been more stingy on defense as of late, allowing 71.0 points per game during its past 10 outings compared to the 71.3 points per game its opponents average in the 2025-26 season.
  • Over their past 10 outings, the Bison are making 0.5 fewer three-pointers per game than their season long average (6.1 compared to 6.6 season-long), while also shooting a lower percentage from deep in that span (33.2% compared to 35.2% season-long).

Howard betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 9-4-0 (Home: 2-2-0; Away: 4-2-0)
  • ATS Record When Favored by 9+: 1-0-0 (As Favorite: 2-2-0; As Underdog: 7-2-0)
  • O-U-P: 4-9-0 (Home: 1-3-0; Away: 2-4-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 1-2 (Home: 1-1; Away: 0-1)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 5-3 (Home: 0-1; Away: 2-2)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
45.0 (216th in nation) 44.2 (228th) 32.0 (242nd) 30.3 (142nd) 14.8 (155th) 12.6 (261st)

Need to know more about sports betting before you put down a wager on Howard vs. South Carolina State? Here’s everything you need to know about how to bet.

South Carolina State statistics, trends and more

As the home team

  • South Carolina State was better against the spread at home (7-1-1) than on the road (10-7-0) last year.
  • Looking at the over/under, Bulldogs games finished over more frequently at home (six of nine, 66.7%) than on the road (10 of 17, 58.8%) last year.
  • The Bulldogs, as moneyline underdogs, won the same percentage of games at home (0-1) as away (0-10) last year.

Recent trends

  • While the Bulldogs are scoring 65.1 points per game in 2025-26, they have bettered that mark in their last 10 games, amassing 67.1 a contest.
  • South Carolina State is giving up 87.9 points per game in its last 10 games, which is 0.2 more points than it is allowing for the season (87.7).
  • Over their last 10 games, the Bulldogs are draining 6.3 three-pointers per game, the same number as their season average. They own a higher three-point percentage over their previous 10 games (35.2%) compared to their season average (33.8%).

South Carolina State betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 5-9-0 (Home: 1-1-0; Away: 4-8-0)
  • ATS Record When Underdog by 9+: 5-8-0 (As Favorite: 0-0-0; As Underdog: 5-9-0)
  • O-U-P: 7-7-0 (Home: 1-1-0; Away: 6-6-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 0-0 (Home: 0-0; Away: 0-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 0-14 (Home: 0-2; Away: 0-12)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
39.1 (356th in nation) 50.1 (357th) 27.1 (355th) 35.7 (340th) 11.3 (339th) 14.0 (342nd)
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