South Carolina Basketball: More details emerging on Gamecocks’ season opener in France

In case you missed it, the South Carolina basketball program announced that Dawn Staley and her team would begin the 2023-2024 season overseas. Specifically, Carolina will be taking on Notre Dame just down the street from its namesake as the Gamecocks will face off with the Fighting Irish in Paris, France on November 6th.

On Tuesday, more details for the historic matchup came to light.

The official South Carolina basketball Twitter account posted a graphic and short informational release that revealed some new details about the first-ever regular season collegiate game played in Paris:

• The game, which had previously been announced for November 6th, will tip-off at 1:00 EST (that’s 7:00 in Paris) and will be broadcast on ESPN.
• Halle Georges Carpentier Arena will play host to the showdown between the Gamecocks and the Irish.
• Sponsored by Aflac, the game is part of the “Over-Under-Initiative.” The Over-Under Initiative seeks to create better access to public/free basketball for kids in need across the world. In the best twist of irony, OUI spells the French word for “yes” and is pronounced like the English word “we,” so the game and initiative are being branded as “OUI PLAY.”
• Tickets for the game will be difficult to come by but will come available for purchase by the public on August 21st. Additional tickets will be available at the arena on gameday but will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The game will serve as one of the largest-ever showcases for women’s college basketball on an international level. South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley remarked that the opportunity is “indescribable” and that she and her team are “thrilled” to be a part of it.

Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said she is “ecstatic” that the world seems to be taking “another step in the right direction” in its embrace of women’s college basketball.

Both the South Carolina basketball program and Notre Dame find themselves ranked inside every preseason ranking heading into their matchup. The November 6th contest will be the first regular season college game for either men or women in the 2023-2024 season.