Maryland vs. South Carolina Prediction, Women's College Basketball Odds & Best Bets (11/2)

Fact checked at 8:47 AM ET, Nov 2, 2026

Odds as of 8:46 AM ET, Nov 2, 2026

No. 1 South Carolina and No. 20 Maryland open their seasons on a neutral floor at Adidas Arena in Paris, with a 12:00 PM ET tip on ESPN. South Carolina is a 14.5-point favorite and the total is 148.5. We think the Gamecocks win a choppy first game, with a brand-new point guard rotation running into Maryland's press, but don't run away with it. Something like 76-66 South Carolina is what we have in mind, so we're taking Maryland with the points and the Under.

Both teams are 0-0, so we're working from last season's numbers, two exhibitions each and what the coaches have said. South Carolina's lineup is projected, not announced: Joyce Edwards and Chloe Kitts in the post, with Tessa Johnson, Jordan Lee and Agot Makeer in the backcourt. Freshman Kaeli Wynn isn't expected to play for South Carolina, and forward Ava McKennie isn't expected to play for Maryland.

Maryland vs. South Carolina Predictions

• Pick #1: Maryland +14.5 (-110)
• Pick #2: Under 148.5 (-110)

PICK #1: Maryland +14.5 (-110)

South Carolina doesn't have a true point guard yet. Raven Johnson is gone, and Maddy McDaniel, the expected successor, left the program this offseason. Dawn Staley has said the job will be handled by committee, with Johnson, Lee and Makeer sharing the ball and Jerzy Robinson and Brooke Quarles-Daniels expected to come off the bench.

That's a bad draw for a committee. Maryland trapped Virginia Tech and North Carolina in both exhibitions, and Staley is expecting more of it: "I think we'll see pressing full court, three-quarter court." Her team turned it over 19 times in its exhibition against Benedict, a Division II team that pressed and trapped. "I do think if we turn it over that many times against a team like Maryland, they'll make you pay for it," she said.

There's more talent here than a No. 20 ranking suggests, too. Maryland returns three All-Big Ten players in Bri McDaniel, Oluchi Okananwa and Addi Mack, gets McDaniel and Lea Bartelme back from ACL injuries and adds Stanford transfer Nunu Agara. Okananwa led the Terrapins with 17.8 points a game last season. "They're healthier. They got talent," Staley said. Maryland beat No. 12 North Carolina 72-68, though only in an exhibition, and when these programs last met, in the 2025 Sweet 16, South Carolina won by four, 71-67.

At -110 you're paying for a 52.4% chance. Size is the worry. Maryland has nobody taller than the 6-2 Agara in its main rotation, and if South Carolina beats the press by getting the ball to Edwards and Kitts, this can get away quickly. If McDaniel, Okananwa or Agara sits, the pick is weaker.

PICK #2: Under 148.5 (-110)

A ragged game is also a lower-scoring one. South Carolina's own preview says its offense "has big shoes to fill" after last season's team set a program record with 85.6 points a game. The six letterwinners back from that team scored 52.2 percent of its points. Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins return after missing all of last season, and seven newcomers join the roster.

The players who left carried a lot of that scoring: Ta'Niya Latson averaged 14.1 points, Madina Okot 12.8 and Raven Johnson 9.9. Edwards and Tessa Johnson are back, but the rest of the offense is being rebuilt on the fly, and against a press. Turnovers can feed easy baskets, sure. They also wreck the rhythm of a half-court offense that is still figuring out who runs it. The last meeting was a 138-point game.

The -110 price implies 52.4%. Last season's scoring is the argument against us: Maryland averaged 82.3 points a game and South Carolina 85.6, and if both offenses pick up where they left off, 148.5 goes fast. Maryland's exhibition win over Virginia Tech finished 93-82. Live-ball turnovers can also turn into transition points, and a South Carolina blowout with the benches scoring late would beat this ticket and the points together.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.