The South Carolina men’s basketball team is coming off a historic season. The Gamecocks earned a 26-8 overall record – tying a program record for most wins in a single season – and made it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. They picked up multiple notable wins last season, including an upset over then-No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville and a home home win over No. 6 Kentucky.
With another year of Gamecock basketball around the corner, the team's 2024-25 schedule features more marquee matchups against conference and non-conference opponents. Here's a breakdown of the top games to watch this upcoming season.
Non-conference play
South Carolina will kick off its 2024-25 campaign against North Florida on Nov. 4.
But arguably its most notable non-conference game – outside of its in-state rivalry matchup against Clemson – will take place on Nov. 16, when the Gamecocks will travel to Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana to play the Indiana Hoosiers. The state of Indiana, which is known as the “home” of basketball, is where the NCAA Hall of Champions is located.
This game will be the first time the Gamecocks have faced the Hoosiers since 1973, and the Hoosiers hold a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series between both teams.
The Hoosiers went 19-14 overall last season but replenished its roster with six additions from the transfer portal, making up a group of players that 247Sports rated as the No. 2 transfer class in the country.
Later that same month, South Carolina will travel to Fort Myers, Florida to participate in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, which runs from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27.
During this tournament, the Gamecocks will play their first game against Xavier and, depending on whether they win or lose, will then face Michigan or Virginia Tech. South Carolina played against the Virginia Tech Hokies last season and won 79-77 after a shot from former Gamecock forward B.J. Mack beat the buzzer at the end of the game.
FILE — South Carolina's men's basketball coach Lamont Paris cheers in the game against Notre Dame at Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 28, 2023. The Gamecocks took home a win of 65-53 against the Fighting Irish.
South Carolina will also take on ACC competition twice before the end of the new year. The Gamecocks will participate in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Dec. 3 against Boston College, a team they have played twice and yet to beat in program history.
The second notable ACC opponent South Carolina will play against is Clemson. The two teams will renew their Palmetto Series rivalry at Colonial Life Arena on Dec. 17. The Gamecocks lead the overall series between both teams by a 92-81 margin, but South Carolina lost the most recent edition of the rivalry 67-72 at Littlejohn Coliseum this past season.
The Tigers went 24-12 last season and made it to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Alabama. Clemson has since lost senior center PJ Hall and graduate forward Jospeh Giard III but added six total players (including three transfers and three freshman) for the upcoming season.
Conference play
The Gamecocks will open conference play on the road against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Jan. 4 before playing two crucial home games against opponents from the state of Alabama. South Carolina will play Alabama on either Jan. 7 or Jan. 8 before taking on Auburn on Jan. 11.
The Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide went a combined 3-0 against the Gamecocks during the 2023-24 season. One of those losses was South Carolina's biggest defeat of the season, a 101-61 loss to Auburn at Neville Arena on Feb. 14, 2023.
The Gamecocks' next pair of major conference games will be against the two teams who are playing their first seasons in the SEC this year, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. Both Texas and Oklahoma made the decision to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in 2023 and will make their SEC debuts this year.
South Carolina will play Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center on Jan. 18 and Texas at Colonial Life Arena on Feb. 22.
On March 8, the Gamecocks will close out the regular season against Tennessee at Thompson-Boiling Arena. The Volunteers won last year's regular season conference championship and lost former guard Dalton Knecht, who is now a member of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, during the offseason.