South Carolina MBB season begins today: What to expect from nonconference schedule

The day has arrived: College basketball has returned.

Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks kick off the 2023-24 season against USC Upstate on Monday night, hoping to improve on the 11-21 season from last year. That journey to improve starts with the nonconference schedule.

The Gamecocks are facing teams from the ACC, Big South, Big East and beyond before starting Southeastern Conference play in January. But which games are bigger? Which games have the tougher opponent?

Here’s a brief overview of what to expect for USC’s nonconference schedule as we rank the opponents from most difficult to least difficult.

at Clemson (Dec. 6)

South Carolina’s biggest rival is likely its most difficult opponent this season. USC beat the Tigers last year at Colonial Life Arena, 60-58, on a game-winning bucket by former Gamecock Chio Carter Jr.

Clemson added five new players in the offseason — four transfers and just one freshman. One of those transfers is former Syracuse guard Joseph Girard III, who averaged 16.4 points per game last season.

Clemson was a No. 1 seed in the NIT tournament but lost in the first round to Morehead State. Still, the orange-and-purple program sits just outside KenPom’s top 50 preseason rankings and is one of two nonconference foes who rank higher than the Gamecocks.

This matchup is just over halfway through the nonconference schedule, and could be a solid gauge for how the Gamecocks are doing a month before taking on the SEC.

Virginia Tech (Nov. 10)

The Hokies are one of the tougher opponents USC faces, and it’s right at the start of the season. This matchup is a part of the Hall of Fame Series in Charlotte and is one of the only instances this season where USC is getting paid for its attendance, according to game contracts obtained by The State.

The neutral-site matchup is the first time Virginia Tech and South Carolina have played since 1997, when USC won 74-73. The Gamecocks have the historical advantage, leading the all-time series 18-13 going all the way back to 1951.

South Carolina’s ability to start fast will be tested against Virginia Tech, a team that’s taken a few hits from the transfer portal but can hold its ground in the ACC.

Grand Canyon or San Francisco (Nov. 19)

South Carolina faces one of these two programs on the final day of the Arizona Tip Off. It would be the final game of the three-game event.

The Gamecocks have never played against either program, and both are inside the top 100 in KenPom’s preseason rankings. GCU made it to the NCAA Tournament last season, while San Francisco played in the West Coast Conference championship against Gonzaga.

vs. Notre Dame (Nov. 28)

The inaugural SEC/ACC Challenge has some of the most glitz and glamor of any of the nonconference games this season, and the Gamecocks are catching their opponent in a rebuild year.

Notre Dame is coming off one of its worst seasons in program history and was projected to finish last in the ACC. The Fighting Irish debut a new head coach, Micah Shrewberry, who joined the program after long-time head coach Mike Brey resigned.

Still, this matchup will be the third ACC program South Carolina faces in November and could be a decent resume win before the second half of nonconference play begins. The Fighting Irish’s rebuild season might make it a less-appealing matchup for the casual college basketball fan, but it’s still one of the more important nonconference games on South Carolina’s docket.

at East Carolina (Dec. 9)

East Carolina pulled off a 64-56 win over USC last season in the Greenville Winter Invitational. South Carolina’s poor offensive game fueled the loss — shooting 38% from the field and 25% from 3-point range.

The Pirates added two transfers to their roster, Cam Hayes from LSU and Bobby Pettiford from Kansas, and five freshmen this season. ECU isn’t excepted to be a top team in the American Athletic Conference but is projected to finish fifth in the AAC. RJ Felton, who scored the game-high 21 points against the Gamecocks last season, is on this year’s preseason All-Conference second team.

This game is the start of a home-and-home series, with USC getting its return game next year, according to the game contracts.

DePaul (Nov. 17)

The first game in Arizona for the Arizona Tip Off, South Carolina has to face the team that just barely won three conference games in the Big East last season. However, the teams DePaul did defeat were big-name programs — Georgetown, who USC beat in overtime, Villanova, then-No. 8 Xavier and Seton Hall in the conference tournament.

The Blue Devils did lose five big-time performers, including Umoja Gibson and Eral Penn, but kept their leading scorer, Da’Sean Nelson, and added one-time Gamecock Chico Carter Jr. The former USC guard will be a key part of DePaul’s offense, and limiting Carter Jr. should be a top priority in the second-ever meeting between the two programs.

vs. Winthrop (Dec. 19)

South Carolina is playing a few members of the Big South Conference, but Winthrop might be the toughest one. Picked third in its conference, Winthrop made it to the conference quarterfinals last season and fell short to Radford, 78-69.

This Eagles roster is made up of nine upperclassmen, including eight seniors. Preseason first-team honoree Kelton Talford and second-team selections Sin’Cere McMahon and Kasen Harrison are the top returners. Winthrop also added some height to its roster, including 6-foot-10 Bucknell transfer Alex Timmer.

Winthrop could be a coin toss-like game for South Carolina, particularly if the Gamecocks start slow offensively. The Eagles’ mature roster makes it a much more interesting matchup.

vs. George Washington (Dec. 6)

This is the return game from a home-and-home series that started last season, where South Carolina lost 79-55. The Colonials’ roster underwent major turnover during the offseason, only retaining three scholarship players and welcoming 11 new faces. Second-year head coach Chris Caputo brought GWU to its first .500 record since the 2016-17 season and went 10-8 in the A-10.

The Colonials come to Columbia right in the heart of nonconference play, just days after the SEC/ACC Challenge and one week after the Arizona Tip Off. But with the level of roster turnover GWU had, it’s hard to guess how good the Colonials will be.

vs. USC Upstate (Nov. 6)

South Carolina’s season-opening foe is a familiar one, a program the Gamecocks have seen seven times before. USC has played the Spartans in Columbia the last six meetings and has won the last three-straight games in the series. USC Upstate led at halftime last season, but South Carolina’s offense nearly doubled the Spartans’ efforts in the second half in Paris’ fourth-ever game as head coach in Colonial Life Arena.

The Gamecocks are facing an undersized opponent for their first game. With South Carolina’s size, particularly with its bigs in the paint such as BJ Mack and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, that will be a significant advantage again this year.

vs. Charleston Southern (Dec. 16)

The final Big South program USC faces this season, Charleston Southern plays the first game at South Carolina since 2003. The Gamecocks are 7-1 in the all-time series, including a 71-36 dominant performance in 2003. The Buccaneers are picked to finish second-to-last in the Big South this season after a 10-21 (5-13) record last year.

Charleston Southern only has two players in their final season of eligibility, and the majority of its roster is sophomores. The Gamecocks’ maturity should be a big advantage against the Bucanneers, despite Charleston Southern’s lengthy forwards.

vs. Elon (Dec. 22)

This will be the fourth-ever meeting between Elon and South Carolina, with the Phoenix holding the 2-1 all-time series advantage. However, USC and Elon faced off from 2010-12 while Elon was still a member of the Southern Conference.

This year, Elon is ranked 10th in the Coastal Athletic Association after going 8-24 (6-12) last season. Its lone two nonconference wins were over Erskine and Johnson & Wales (N.C.). Head coach Billy Taylor is in his second season leading the Phoenix after his time in the Patriot League.

South Carolina’s depth and size should overpower Elon. Best-case scenario, this game could be a big confidence booster heading into the holiday break just two weeks out from conference play.

vs. VMI (Nov. 13)

VMI shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for this Gamecocks roster. The Keydets struggled through their conference schedule last year, winning two SoCon games and going 0-2 at neutral sites.

South Carolina and VMI face off in Columbia as part of the Arizona Tip Off before heading to Glendale, Arizona for the remainder of the event. While USC doesn’t have a lot of recent experience against VMI, Paris does. With his years coaching in the SoCon, the Gamecocks should have a coaching advantage and forward Stephen Clark’s experience playing VMI at The Citadel, too.

vs. Florida A&M (Dec. 30)

South Carolina’s final contest of the nonconference schedule is likely the easiest game the Gamecocks will play. Florida A&M is No. 344 in the KenPom preseason standings and stumbled its way to a 7-22 record last year.

Head coach Robert McCullum is in his seventh year leading the Rattlers. Last year ended a four-year streak of a winning conference record, which hadn’t been done since the 2006-07 season. Florida A&M begins its second year in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

This game is the last nonconference game for both programs, and both teams have a week-long break before beginning conference play Jan. 6. This could be a game that the Gamecocks get some confidence before taking on Mississippi State and charging into SEC play.