South Carolina Basketball: First game of 2023-2024 schedule announced for Gamecocks

The South Carolina basketball team is entering year 2 of the Lamont Paris era in Columbia. Not much is known for sure about what will happen in the 2023-2024 season for the Gamecock basketball program as the roster is welcoming seven newcomers, including three or four new starters.

Carolina fans now know the first chance they will have to watch their favorite team on the court. According to college basketball schedule analyst Rocco Miller, South Carolina basketball will open its 2023-2024 campaign at home in Colonial Life Arena against the USC-Upstate Spartans.

The first game for the new-look Gamecocks will be on November 6th. USC-Upstate will return to Columbia after Carolina won last year’s matchup 68-53. The Gamecocks have only lost to the Spartans once in the matchup’s history (a loss in 2013 in which Carolina led by 17). The 2023-2024 USC-Upstate squad does not have two future NBA players in Torrey Craig and Ricardo Glenn, however.

The Gamecocks will also face Virginia Tech during out-of-conference play next season. The November 10th matchup will be part of a double-feature in Charlotte’s Spectrum Arena (home of the Charlotte Hornets) along with a game between Florida and Virginia.

Not much else is known about the 2023-2024 South Carolina basketball schedule. The Gamecocks will play Clemson like they always do, and they will play 18 games in the SEC (9 on the road and 9 at home at Colonial Life Arena). After that, few details have come to light.

Though not expected to be one of the country’s top teams, the 2023-2024 version of Lamont Paris’ Gamecocks should be more competitive than what they put on the floor last season. Despite losing likely 1st-round draft pick GG Jackson, 3-point sniper Chico Carter, and solid starter Hayden Brown, the roster is much more complete after Paris’ coaching staff worked the transfer portal this offseason.

South Carolina lost bigs Daniel Hankins-Sanford, Tre-Vaughn Minnot, and Javon Benson, wings Jackson and Brown, and knockdown shooter Carter, but they also added two All-Southern Conference big men in BJ Mack and Stephen Clark, one of the country’s best assist men in guard Ta’Lon Cooper, and a versatile shooting forward in Myles Stute.

The freshman class could play a role next season, as well. Collin Murray-Boyles is a top-100 forward, Arden Conyers is a wing with shooting touch, and Morris Ugusuk is a tough-nosed guard who can help with one of last year’s team’s biggest weaknesses: perimeter defense.

The Gamecocks won their season opener last November against South Carolina State and will look to go 2-0 in season openers under Paris when they welcome the Spartans to town on November 6th.