South Carolina basketball: Gamecocks add Florida State to schedule

South Carolina basketball adds another non-conference opponent.

South Carolina basketball’s 2021-22 schedule continues to solidify, with two new opponents being added over the last week. The Gamecocks will face off against Clemson, Georgetown, Army, UAB, and Rider next season, while also taking part in a four-team tournament with Minnesota, Western Kentucky, and a team to be named at a later date.

Late Tuesday, it was reported by basketball insider Jon Rothstein that another foe can be added to that list, in the form of a major ACC power.

Florida State will make the trip to South Carolina this December where they’ll face off against the Gamecocks in a neutral site game in Rock Hill. It will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2006, which resulted in a 69-68 South Carolina victory.

The all-time series is split nearly evenly, with the Seminoles holding a slight 16-14 advantage. These two programs met yearly between 1980 and 1991 as members of the old Metro Conference, but the series has been on a bit of a hiatus since South Carolina entered the SEC and Florida State joined the ACC.

Last season, the Seminoles were the class of the league, posting an 18-7 overall record and earning a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament. After winning its first two games in postseason play, Florida State dropped a Sweet Sixteen matchup to top-seeded Michigan. It was the program’s third consecutive time making at least the round of 16, and the fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016-17. Since then, the Seminoles have posted an 8-4 postseason record, and have finished in the top four in the ACC standings four times.

The Seminoles will present a tough challenge for the Gamecocks, who are looking to erase the memories of a six-win season in 2020. Frank Martin has brought in a talented group of transfers, while also returning two of the team’s top scorers from a year ago. With this addition, South Carolina will face two ACC foes next season, as well as five opponents that finished last year inside the top 80 in RPI. Three teams on the non-conference slate made the NCAA Tournament, and one more landed a spot in the NIT.

The Gamecocks will be battle-tested by the time conference play rolls around. Hopefully they can pick up some big wins early to help shape a resume that lifts them into the postseason come March.