It’s that time of the year again: College basketball is back. Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks tip off their 2024-25 season against North Florida on Monday night, and they do so with high aspirations.
South Carolina won 26 games last season and made the NCAA Tournament, and they’ll be embarking on the journey to build on that success. Before SEC play kicks off in January, USC will take on teams from the Big Ten, ACC, Big East and more.
But what are the marquee games from the slate of noncon games? Who are the tougher opponents? Here’s a brief overview of what to expect for USC’s nonconference schedule as we rank the opponents from most difficult to least difficult.
The biggest marquee game for South Carolina will be against No. 17 Indiana. Out of the nonconference games, it is USC’s only road game and only ranked matchup.
The two programs have only met three times in history, with Indiana winning two of them. The last matchup was in 1998, when IU defeated USC 76-55. The Hoosiers finished 19-14 last season after winning five straight games at the end of the season before losing in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Even with the late run, IU didn’t have the resume to make the tournament, and it declined the invitation to the NIT to focus on recruiting. For the Gamecocks, it will be their first true test to see if they have what it takes to be a contender on the national scene this year.
The battle of the Palmetto State programs will be one of USC’s most highly contested games this season. Last year, Clemson won 72-67 at home after debuting in the AP rankings at No. 24. The Gamecocks led for the majority of the contest, but a late run by the Tigers exorcised the Gamecocks’ upset bid.
Clemson received an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament and made a run to the Elite Eight, defeating 11th-seed New Mexico, third-seed Baylor and second-seed Arizona before falling to fourth-seed Alabama. The Tigers return preseason All-SEC selections Ian Schieffelin and Chase Hunter, who combined for 22 points in last year’s win. They’re also adding four transfers and three freshman after having six players transfer or finishing their college career.
Clemson is ranked No. 24 in the preseason KenPom rankings. Per usual, the Gamecocks’ performance against their rival will be a preview to how the team can perform just before SEC play begins. XAVIER (NOV. 25) South Carolina will Xavier as a part of the Fort Myers Tip Off tournament in Florida.
The two programs have never faced off before, and have little connection between them. The biggest connection is that Xavier’s head coach, Sean Miller, was linked to the opening at USC before Paris took the position.
The Musketeers finished 16-18 last year and were eliminated in the first round of the NIT. Xavier is expected to make a jump this year and is ranked No. 33 in the preseason KenPom rankings. With the game being under the lights of a tournament, it will be interesting to see how much the Gamecocks will have jelled by that point and how much the young players can contribute in a tournament setting.
South Carolina will take on one of these two programs on the final day of the Fort Myers Tip Off. It would be the final game of the three-game event.
USC has faced Michigan three times before, winning two of them.
The most recent of their encounters came in 2018, when Michigan won 89-78 at home. Michigan finished last in the Big Ten last year with an overall record of 8-24. The Wolverines are expected to make a jump this year after hiring Dusty May — who led FAU to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four — as their new head coach.
They also added five transfers, three from top programs, and freshman four-star Justin Pippen, the son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen. Michigan is ranked No. 36 in the preseason KenPom rankings.
USC beat Virginia Tech 79-77 in the Hall of Fame Series in Charlotte last year. The win set the tone for the Gamecocks’ run. The Hokies went on to make the NIT with a 19-15 record and lost in the second round. They’re ranked No. 98 in the preseason KenPom rankings.
South Carolina will face Boston College as part of the second year of the SEC/ACC Challenge. The game is in a neutral site, but is in Massachusetts — so it’s almost like a de facto home game for Boston College. The Gamecocks getting off to a quick start will be crucial in that environment.
The Eagles have won both of their previous matchups with the Gamecocks, including a 85-70 road win in 2011. Boston College received an invite to the NIT after going 20-16 last season and lost in the second round.
South Carolina and East Carolina will have the second half of their home-and-home series, this time in Colonial Life Arena. Last year, USC went on the road and won 68-62. The Pirates are predicted to finish ninth in the American Athletic Conference and are returning All-AAC first-team selection senior guard RJ Felton, who scored a game-high-tying 15 points in the loss last year.
USC and Towson have faced each other twice in history with the Gamecocks winning both, including a 65-55 home win in 1997.
The Tigers finished with a 20-14 record last season and made it to the semifinals of the Coastal Athletic Association tournament before losing to eventual conference champion Charleston. Towson was predicted to finish first in the CAA in a preseason poll. All-CAA preseason selections Tyler Tejada (first team), Christian May (second team) and Dylan Williamson (honorable mention) all return for the Tigers.
USC last defeated Mercer 88-52 in 2001, and has won four of their five matchups. The Bears finished with a 16-17 record last season and made it to the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament, losing 70-57 to Samford, the eventual league champion.
After Greg Gary moved on for an assistant position at Georgia Tech, Mercer hired a new head coach in Ryan Ridder. Ridder previously coached at UT-Martin for three years before taking the position with the Bears. Mercer was ranked seventh out of 10 teams in the Southern Conference in the preseason poll.
This is South Carolina’s season opener. The two programs have faced off once before, when USC won 81-56 in 2014. North Florida had a pedestrian 16-16 record last season and lost 101-98 in an overtime thriller to Austin Peay in the ASUN Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
The Ospreys were predicted to finish seventh out of 12 teams in the ASUN Conference in a preseason poll. They received one first place vote in the poll.
Radford and South Carolina last faced off in 2010 when the Gamecocks came away with a dominating 85-56 win. USC has won each of their previous three matchups. The Highlanders finished with a record of 16-17 last year and made it to the second round of the Big South tournament, losing 77-64 to High Point. Radford was predicted to finish seventh out of nine teams in the Big South Conference in a preseason poll.
South Carolina and S.C. State have faced five times in history with USC winning all five, including an 80-77 home win in 2022. S.C. State went 14-17 last year with most of its wins coming in MEAC play. The Bulldogs were ranked fifth in the MEAC’s preseason poll. They are returning All-MEAC preseason selections sophomore Mitchell Taylor (second team) and graduate senior Omar Croskey (third team).
USC has won all three of its historical games against Presbyterian, including a 68-57 win in 2022.
Presbyterian finished last year with a 14-19 record — its fifth-straight losing season — and lost 61-60 to Gardner-Webb in the first round of the Big South Tournament. Presbyterian was predicted to finish eighth out of nine teams in the Big South Conference in a preseason poll. This game is the last nonconference game for both programs, and both teams have a few days to recollect themselves before starting conference play just after the new year begins. The Gamecocks travel to Mississippi State on Jan. 4 and a win over Presbyterian could be a nice boost as they head into a tough road game to start their SEC slate.
South Carolina’s last contest before its showdown with Clemson will likely be its easiest of the year. USC Upstate has the lowest KenPom preseason ranking (No. 349) of all of South Carolina’s noncon opponents.
The Spartans finished with a 10-20 record last season. They were ranked last in the Big South’s preseason poll. USC Upstate hasn’t had a winning record since the 2016-17 when it just barely had a record above .500 (17-16). Marty Richter took over the head coaching ranks this offseason for USC Upstate. This is his second stint as a head coach, previously coaching Florida Southwestern (2016-18) before taking an assistant position with Drake (2018-24). The Gamecocks are 7-1 all time against the Spartans, including a 82-53 home win last year. A barrage of USC 3-pointers (12-of-22) in last year’s game helped it pull away early and cruise to a big victory. Paris is likely to stick with that strategy here
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