The South Carolina men's basketball team under head coach Lamont Paris tips off the regular season in just a few weeks. The expectations for the Gamecocks are low this season, coming off of a 13-19 season last year.
With the men's basketball season not far away, the AP released its first preseason poll for the 2026-27 season. While as expected, South Carolina was not ranked, but as you'll see the Gamecocks will have to play several ranked teams both in the regular season and SEC play. Here's a look at the full preseason poll, with Gamecock opponents listed in bold.
- Florida Gators
- Duke Blue Devils
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- UConn Huskies
- Arizona Wildcats
- Michigan State Spartans
- Texas Longhorns
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Houston Cougars
- Louisville Cardinals
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- St. John's Red Storm
- Miami (FL) Hurricanes
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Michigan Wolverines
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- USC Trojans
- UCLA Bruins
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- BYU Cougars
South Carolina is set to take on the USC Trojans on Wednesday, Nov. 25 as part of the Acrisure Series in Palm Springs, Calif. on Nov. 24. In the SEC, South Carolina will take on the top-ranked Florida Gators on the road on Tuesday, Feb. 2. South Carolina plays Texas at home on Wednesday, Jan. 27, Tennessee on the road on Feb. 23. South Carolina plays Arkansas at home on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The conference games against Alabama and Vanderbilt will come on Jan. 20 and Jan. 12, respectively.
South Carolina will be looking to improve in the SEC this season, after finishing 4-14 in SEC play last year. Like his football counterpart Shane Beamer, this is a critical season for Coach Paris, who is coming off of two straight losing seasons in Columbia. He is entering his fifth season at South Carolina, and has a 62-68 overall record as head coach.
The Gamecocks, for the second season in a row, were projected by the preseason media poll to finish dead last in the SEC for this upcoming season. It'll be interesting to see if Paris can prove folks wrong and rebuild this season.
South Carolina will tip off the season on Tuesday, Nov. 3 against Stetson at home, at 7 p.m. ET. The Gamecocks will be looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Paris did so with his 2024 team.
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