South Carolina basketball fans will have a chance this week to do something they haven't been able to do in a long time: they will have the opportunity to watch their Gamecocks play in the final week of the regular season with 1st place in the conference still in play.
The preseason 14th-ranked team in the SEC (that's dead last, by the way) is one game behind the Tennessee Volunteers for 1st place in the league, and when the Gamecocks and Vols face off on Wednesday night, 1st place will be on the line. If South Carolina basketball wins, they will be tied for the league lead with one game left to play (on the road against Mississippi State). If Tennessee wins, the orange and white will clinch at least a portion of the SEC regular season championship.
Lamont Paris has worked a miracle in the 2023-2024 season as he has led the Gamecocks from an 11-21 record last year (tying the South Carolina basketball record for losses in a season) to a 24-5 mark this season. The Gamecocks also could win the SEC without getting a single player on the All-SEC first or second team (Ta'Lon Cooper, Meechie Johnson, and Collin Murray-Boyles all have a chance but are far from "locks" to receive the honor).
After beating the Florida Gators and Texas A&M Aggies in the last week, Gamecock fans began to wonder just how highly their favorite team would be ranked in the updated AP poll.
The AP poll was late to appreciate what Paris and the Gamecocks have done, but they have put USC in the top-25 the last four weeks. Carolina has been anywhere from #11 to #20 in the rankings during that time.
On Monday, the AP released its updated rankings, and South Carolina basketball slotted in at the #17 spot in the nation, just one spot ahead of where they ranked last week.
The entire AP top-25 can be seen below:
- Houston Cougars
- UConn Huskies
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Arizona Wildcats
- Iowa State Cyclones
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Marquette Golden Eagles
- Duke Blue Devils
- Creighton Blue Jays
- Baylor Bears
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Auburn Tigers
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Washington State Cougars
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- BYU Cougars
- San Diego State Aztecs
- Utah State Aggies
- Saint Mary's Gaels
- South Florida Bulls
- Dayton Flyers
The Gamecocks and Volunteers will play on Wednesday at 7:00 PM EST at Colonial Life Arena for the biggest game of the SEC season.