Analytics rankings updates on South Carolina basketball's 3-0 start

South Carolina basketball opened the 2025-26 season last week and has gotten out to a 3-0 start. Based on playing lower-level opponents, the results weren’t surprising. However, the Gamecocks have established themselves as a team that wants to take a lot of shots from outside and from the free throw line, meaning that much of the fanbase is hopeful the higher scoring numbers will continue.

But what does the analytics data say about South Carolina basketball?

Throughout the season, GamecockCentral will compile the data points and rankings from three major college basketball analytics publications — Ken Pomeroy’s KenPom rankings, Evan Miyakawa’s data from EvanMiya.com, and Bart Torvik’s T-Rank numbers — and compare them to USC’s numbers from the previous week.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!

As a disclaimer, a small sample size doesn’t provide enough data to make a solid analytical statement about a team. This is especially true considering Carolina’s games have come against lower-level opponents, something that will naturally lower the team’s metrics. In fact, the Gamecocks’ numbers likely won’t improve too much until they play higher-ranked teams like Butler, Northwestern, Virginia Tech, and Clemson. However, the analytics guys are pretty good at what they do, so their current metrics are still worth noting.

As of November 13th, KenPom slots in South Carolina at No. 97 overall. That is seven slots lower than the Gamecocks’ mark after week one but does represent an improvement from the aftermath of the team’s overtime win over Southern Miss earlier in the week. The offense slid up three spots in the KenPom rankings, spotting up at No. 82. That likely means that USC’s offense received a significant bump in the raw rankings that then shifted down somewhat due to competition level. Defensively, Carolina is now No. 109, seven spots lower than Pomeroy’s defensive rating from this time a week ago.

The numbers from Miyakawa are a little lower. Dropping from No. 99 overall to No. 108, the Gamecocks are now No. 109 on offense and No. 118 on defense. That represents a six-spot dip with the ball and a 17-spot drop without it. Miyakawa’s “roster rank” also shifted South Carolina down five spots to No. 95 nationally.

For Bart Torvik, Lamont Paris’ team improved again this week. Now No. 101 (up from 104th), the Gamecocks are 106th on offense and 103rd on defense. Offensively, USC jumped eight spots, while they dropped two on defense. Of note, Torvik has given South Carolina a 0.10 Wins Above Bubble rating, which is 79th in the country. Almost every team that finishes with a positive WAB makes the NCAA Tournament; eight teams missed the Big Dance with a positive WAB last year, and just two made it as an at-large despite a negative WAB.

South Carolina remains 16th out of 16 SEC teams in each analytics model’s rankings. In fact, the Gamecocks are last in the conference in both offense and defense in all three models, as well. However, KenPom places USC ahead of Big 12 teams Utah and Colorado and the ACC’s Boston College. Miyakawa and Torvik also have Carolina ahead of Boston College, and Miyakawa lists the Gamecocks ahead of Utah.

Join GamecockCentral now for $1 your first week and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic – included with your membership.

There will be plenty of chances for South Carolina to improve its analytic standing. Plus, the deeper into the season the Gamecocks get, the more their metrics will stem from this year’s data, instead of combining this year’s performance with the disappointment of the 2024-2025 campaign.

Next up, South Carolina will play another home contest on Tuesday, November 18th at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks will host the Radford Highlanders at 7:00 p.m. The game will not be on traditional television but will stream on SEC Network+.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!