South Carolina is coming into this game with a 3-2 record this season and they are still trying to put things together this season after losing some key pieces. They were a very good team last season that was starting to sneak up on everyone in the SEC so they will be looking to take a bigger step this year. They did lose some key pieces from that team, but they also brought in some good players and have some better recruits as well. Their season started with a very bad loss at home to North Florida by 3 points, but they have won 3 of their last 4 games and have been playing much better in these. They have won 3 games against South Carolina State, Towson, and Mercer, dominating all 3 of those teams as each of those wins were by 10+ points. Their only loss in that span was by 16 points, but they lost on the road against a ranked Indiana team that has been playing well. They are going to have some confidence as they are coming off of a win in their last game and this is their chance to get a quality win in a neutral location against a bigger program so they are going to get up for this game. They are going up against a Xavier side that is 5-0 this season and has been on fire to start the year. They were not great last season, but they are not retunring a lot of players from that team and are trying to turn things around this year. They have won their last 5 straight games to start the season, but they do not have many quality wins in that span. They have been dominating much weaker teams with their only quality win coming against Wake Forest by 15 points, but all 5 of their games have also been at home this season. This is going to be their 1st game this season that is not at home for them and even though it is just a neutral location, it is not going to have the same effect as their home games. South Carolina is starting to play much better in their recent games and this was a team that played the whole season last year with a chip on their shoulder as they did not get much respect in the SEC despite their record. They are going to get up for this game to make a statement against a good program that is still undefeated to start the season. South Carolina will cover the spread in this game.