South Carolina basketball moves up slightly in updated NET rankings, still ranked near bottom of SEC

South Carolina basketball holds an 8-4 record with one game left in non-conference play. The Gamecocks have lost all four of their showdowns against power conference opponents but are a perfect 8-0 against lower-level foes. Since GamecockCentral’s last NET update on Tuesday, USC hasn’t played. Lamont Paris’ team’s most recent game came last Monday, a 95-70 win over South Carolina State.

At the beginning of December, the first NET rankings of the season came out. South Carolina debuted at No. 99. Since then, the Gamecocks have dropped to No. 113 in the updated NET rankings. Despite not playing in quite a while, that actually represents a four-spot improvement from this past Tuesday. Carolina remains 15th in the SEC. Only the Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 123) are below USC.

These NET rankings have been updated following last night’s games across the country.

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The NET, for those unfamiliar, is the most important ranking metric used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. It factors in Team Value Index (essentially a team’s on-court results, location of games, and strength of schedule) and adjusted net efficiency ratings (how well a team plays in those games, adjusted for the quality of opponent and location of games).

As of this writing, South Carolina does not have any wins over Quad 1, Quad 2, or Quad 3 opponents. USC is 0-4 against the Quad 1 and Quad 2, losing to Butler (Quad 1) and Northwestern (Quad 2) on a neutral floor, Clemson (Quad 1) on the road, and Virginia Tech (Quad 2) at home. Thanks to scheduling shifts, Lamont Paris’ team has played no games against current Quad 3 foes.

The Gamecocks are 8-0 against the Quad 4, with all of those games coming at home. Frankly, though, that’s exactly what a power conference team should do against the lowest quadrant of opponents.

Severely damaging South Carolina’s metrics is the program’s strength of schedule. According to ESPN, the Gamecocks have played the 286th-ranked schedule in the country. That is dead last in the SEC and third to last in the sport among power conference programs. Only the Cal Golden Bears (322) and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (325) are below Carolina in strength of schedule.

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The Gamecocks will play one more game before SEC play begins on January 3rd.

South Carolina will host the Albany Great Danes at Colonial Life Arena on Tuesday, December 30th. The final non-conference contest of the 2025-2026 season will begin at 6:00 p.m. SEC Network will carry the television broadcast, while the ESPN app makes things available via streaming.

The Gamecocks will then begin Southeastern Conference play on Saturday, January 3rd against Vanderbilt.

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