The South Carolina Gamecocks' men's and women's basketball teams take center stage on Tuesday, as the SEC Tipoff begins on Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala.
One of the big parts of this preseason conversation around this annual conference event is the media votes on the predicted order of finish for each and every team inside the SEC. The media already picked the Gamecock women's team, led by returning stars Tessa Johnson and Chloe Kitts, to finish first in the conference.
So, what about Lamont Paris' men's team? Perhaps as no surprise, the media has picked the Gamecocks to finish dead last, at No. 16 inside the SEC. South Carolina has finished below-.500 in each of his last two seasons in Columbia, including a 4-14 finish in the conference last season.
The media likes the Florida Gators to win the conference for the second consecutive season in a row, followed by Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama. Here's a look at the full predicted order of finish.
- Florida Gators
- Texas Longhorns
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Missouri Tigers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Auburn Tigers
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Ole Miss Rebels
- LSU Tigers
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
- South Carolina Gamecocks
It's the same spot the Gamecocks were predicted to finish last year, and the media predicted correctly. This is a critical season for Paris as he enters the fifth season as the Gamecocks' head coach. Under him over the last two seasons, South Carolina has won just six SEC games.
He led a complete roster overhaul this offseason, landing transfer portal stars such as George Mason guard Kory Mincey, Texas wing Camden Heide and Wisconsin forward Aleksas Bieliauskaseron.
But it's unclear just how well the new faces will gel with returning guys in Hayden Assemian, Grant Polk and Eli Sparkman. Clearly the media doesn't have a ton of faith in Paris' efforts this offseason.
South Carolina will open the 2026-27 season on Nov. 3 with a home game against Stetson. Paris is schedule to speak with the media at 3:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday afternoon.
ALSO READ: 8 winners and losers from South Carolina's upset win over the Florida Gators in Week 5
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