Prediction: South Carolina Upstate Spartans VS Youngstown St Penguins 2025-12-20

South Carolina Upstate Spartans vs. Youngstown St Penguins: A Courtroom Drama of Three-Pointers and Home-Court Justice

Ladies and gentlemen, gather ‘round for a clash of college basketball’s most statistically fascinating mismatch! The South Carolina Upstate Spartans (8-6) hit the road to face the Youngstown St Penguins (7-5), a team so dominant at home they’ve probably taped “No Outsiders” on their gym doors. Let’s break this down with the precision of a coach’s whiteboard and the humor of a mascot who’s seen one too many啦patatas.

Parsing the Odds: Numbers Don’t Lie (Unless They’re on a Road Trip)
First, the cold, hard stats:
- Youngstown St is 4-0 at home, averaging 80.2 points while outscoring foes by 10.9 points per game. Their offense is a well-oiled machine, led by Cris Carroll, who shoots 48.6% from three—a marksman who could probably hit a basket from half-court if you paid him enough. The Penguins also average 10.4 made threes per game, a number so high it makes the Spartans’ 6.6 allowed look like a leaky faucet.
- South Carolina Upstate, meanwhile, is 2-5 on the road, with a -55 scoring differential (ouch). They shoot 43.9% from the field, which is decent, but their opponents shoot 42.9%—a paradox only possible in college basketball. Their star, Mason Bendinger (16.1 PPG), will need to play like he’s got a GPS for the basket, because their road record suggests they’re more lost than a freshman on move-in day.

The implied probabilities from the odds tell a clear story. DraftKings lists Youngstown at -150 (76% implied chance to win) and South Carolina Upstate at +350 (25% implied). That’s like betting on a tortoise to beat a hare in a race—unless the hare is named “Cris Carroll” and the track is made of three-point lines.

Digesting the News: Injuries, Updates, and Why the Spartans Should Bring a Roadmap
The Spartans’ recent 112-39 win over Agnes Scott is impressive, but let’s be real: that’s the basketball equivalent of a chef winning a cooking show by serving a 10-pound steak to a plate of judges who brought their own snacks. It doesn’t say much about their ability to compete against a team that doesn’t resemble a charity case.

Youngstown, on the other hand, just lost 80-77 in OT to Robert Morris, but that was after Cris Carroll dropped 31 points—a performance so fiery, the scoreboard probably needed a smoke alarm. The Penguins’ home dominance is legendary: they’re outrebounding opponents by 33.6-26.4 and dishing out 15.2 assists per game. Their defense? A fortress. Opponents average 67.7 PPG against them—like a leaky faucet trying to flood a desert.

South Carolina Upstate’s road woes are the stuff of urban legend. They allow 65.3 PPG on the road, which is roughly the same as how many times their offense vanishes during critical moments. If their road trip were a GPS, it’d say, “Recalculating… Recalculating… Still lost.”

Humorous Spin: Three-Pointers, Metaphors, and Why This Game Feels Like a Math Test
Let’s inject some levity. Youngstown’s three-point attack is so lethal, they could win this game from the halftime locker room if they wanted. Cris Carroll’s 48.6%三分命中率 is so high, he’s basically the NBA’s Steph Curry… if Steph had a time machine and played against third graders.

South Carolina’s offense? It’s like a buffet where the only dish is “meh.” They average 7.5 threes per game, which sounds good until you realize Youngstown allows 5.9—meaning the Spartans’ “attack” is about as threatening as a toddler with a water gun. And their road record? It’s the reason why “air travel” exists: to escape.

Prediction: The Verdict Is In, and It’s Not Close
Putting it all together: Youngstown’s home-court advantage is a moat around a castle, their three-point shooting is a nuclear weapon, and South Carolina Upstate’s road struggles are a cautionary tale for travel agents. The Penguins’ 10.4 made threes per game will pierce the Spartans’ fragile defense like a hot knife through butter.

Final Verdict: Bet on the Youngstown St Penguins to cover the -7.5 spread and win outright. Unless Cris Carroll decides to take a nap and the Spartans suddenly invent a time machine to 2012 (when they were decent), this one’s a layup for the hosts.

“The Spartans may have a fighting chance if they play in Charlotte, but in Youngstown? They’re just here for the T-shirt.” 🏀✨

Created: Dec. 20, 2025, 9:49 a.m. GMT

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