South Carolina basketball: exhibition vs. Coker cancelled

South Carolina basketball will have to wait a few days for its season opener.

The Gamecocks were set to face off in a season opening exhibition matchup with in-state foe Coker on Wednesday, before having the game cancelled just hours ahead of the tipoff due to COVID concerns. The game will not be made up.

The news was released around 4:00 PM this afternoon, with South Carolina posting a statement that noted testing protocols as the reason for the cancellation.

"“Due to a delayed delivery of Coker’s COVID-19 testing results in advance of tonight’s exhibition, the matchup vs. the Cobras has been cancelled. South Carolina continues to prepare for its season opener vs. Liberty on Saturday at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.”"

South Carolina basketball has been directly impacted by COVID, as head coach Frank Martin revealed this Fall that he’d been diagnosed with the virus. He has made a full recovery, but the school is still being cautious.

The Gamecocks were looking to build upon last year’s 18-win season, as they hopefully pave their path to the NCAA tournament. They’ll now have to wait a few days for that trek to begin.

Coker was travelling to Columbia for its second game in as many days, as they played Lincoln Memorial in its conference opener just last night. The Cobras lost that contest 78-57.

With the cancellation, the Gamecocks will have to wait until Saturday for its first matchup of 2020, as they travel to Kansas City for the Hall of Fame Classic. South Carolina will open the tournament with Liberty, before playing either TCU or Tulsa in a second round matchup.

Saturday’s tip is set for 4:00 PM and will be televised on ESPNews.