South Carolina basketball will miss its scheduled SEC opener.
South Carolina will miss a fourth straight game, the school announced earlier this week, as COVID issues inside the Gamecock locker room have forced the team to postpone or cancel each of its matchups since December 5th.
The latest postponement involves the Gamecocks’ Southeastern Conference opener, as a December 29th meeting with the Kentucky Wildcats is the latest contest to be wiped from the schedule. It’s unsure when the Gamecocks will be able to make the game up.
South Carolina has now missed consecutive matchups versus in state schools Wofford, Clemson, and South Carolina State, with the Wildcats now joining the list. The matchups with Wofford and South Carolina State won’t be made up, but the Gamecocks are actively trying to reschedule the Kentucky and Clemson meetings.
The Gamecocks are off to a 1-2 start, having lost games to Liberty and Houston, but having pulled off a win over Tulsa in the Hall of Fame Classic this November. Sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard is leading the team in scoring at 13.3 points per contest. AJ Lawson is also averaging double figures, notching 11.3 points a game.
The roster is littered with experienced players in the backcourt, and had aspirations to compete for an SEC title and get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017. Hopefully, Frank Martin and Co. can get back on the court soon, though there’s been no set timeline for a South Carolina return.
The next matchup on the schedule is a meeting with Florida A&M on January 2nd.