ESPN gives South Carolina basketball low grade following 12-20 season

ESPN’s Myron Medcalf examined SEC basketball this week, handing out season grades to each program. While 13 of the conference’s 16 teams earned a ‘B’ or higher, South Carolina was not one of those teams. Medcalf gave the Gamecocks, along with Texas and LSU, a ‘D’ mark.
The ESPN writer called the 2023-24 season, in which South Carolina made the NCAA Tournament, a “dream.” However, this past season, when the Gamecocks notched just two SEC wins, was described as a “nightmare.”
The grade takes preseason expectations into account as well. Even with South Carolina entering the season picked 11th in the conference, they weren’t able to meet that low bar.
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Medcalf did point out a silver lining, however, as South Carolina took down three tournament teams. That included in-state rival Clemson, in a 91-88 overtime victory at Colonial Life Arena. Overall, seven SEC teams managed an ‘A’ rating from Medcalf, and six more earned a ‘B’. South Carolina and LSU were the only teams from the conference to miss the NCAA Tournament this past year.
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This upcoming season, South Carolina will have more potential hurdles to leap over. Collin Murray-Boyles will stay in the NBA Draft as he is expected by many to be a first-round pick. In addition to filling his void, the Gamecocks must find replacements for six of the seven players who started a game last season.
Lamont Paris enters his fourth season as the head coach at South Carolina. He has a 49-49 overall record and a 19-35 record in conference games. He has brought in six transfers and five freshman recruits ahead of the 2025-26 season. The headliner of the freshman class is Eli Ellis, who is ranked inside On3’s top-100 rankings for the class of 2025.