South Carolina basketball learns position in first KenPom ratings of 2025-26 season

College basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy publishes his “KenPom” ratings annually before the college basketball season. His analytical model spits out a predictive ranking of all D-I teams, which adjusts throughout the season as teams rise and fall.

The preseason rankings are out, with every team ranked from 1 to 365. Before tip-off against North Carolina A&T on Nov. 4, South Carolina men’s basketball is ranked 86th in KenPom.

That rating is the lowest in the SEC, and by a solid margin. The closest in-conference foe in the preseason ratings is Porter Moser’s Oklahoma Sooners, slotted at No. 58. Ten SEC teams are included in KenPom’s top 30, led by Florida and Kentucky at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively. Notably, Auburn and Texas A&M are not included in that grouping.

In terms of South Carolina’s non-conference schedule, however, the Gamecocks hold advantages over most of their opponents. Their aforementioned opening opponent, North Carolina A&T, is the lowest-rated team in the CAA. The Aggies begin the season in the No. 353 spot. The next few games on South Carolina’s schedule are similar in terms of opponent quality, per KenPom.

The Southern Miss Eagles are next up on the docket, and they’re rated 260th. South Carolina follows up that game with contests against Big South foes Presbyterian and Radford. The Blue Hose are rated 278th, while the Highlanders are near the top of the conference, rated 143rd nationally.

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After the home matchup against Radford, the Gamecocks travel to West Virginia for the Greenbrier Tip-Off. There, they’ll face off against their first two opponents with a higher preseason KenPom rating. In the first matchup, South Carolina plays Butler, rated 72nd overall and eighth of 11 Big East programs. Next, regardless of the first game’s result, South Carolina will play Northwestern. The Wildcats, led by Chris Collins, are rated 57th in the preseason ratings.

From there, South Carolina gets, in terms of strength of schedule, a one-game breather against Charleston Southern (320th) before participating in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Gamecocks host Virginia Tech, who are rated just above Butler at 71st. The Gamecocks get two more home games in a row following that inter-conference matchup. First, Stetson comes to Columbia. The Hatters are rated 348th in the preseason ratings. Next, South Carolina plays The Citadel, who are predicted last in the SoCon with a rating of 333.

The Gamecocks must travel to Clemson next, and Pomeroy’s model is high on the Tigers. Clemson is rated 32nd nationally, right above UNC. The final two non-conference games of the 2025-26 season are South Carolina State (321st) and Albany (259th) before SEC games begin. The home matchup against Albany is the last scheduled contest of the season in which South Carolina boasts a higher preseason rating. (All remaining opponents are in the SEC and rated ahead of the Gamecocks.)

South Carolina returns just three players from the 2024-25 season, though Meechie Johnson Jr. does return from Ohio State. For context, that team finished 69th in the end-of-year KenPom ratings, though they finished higher than LSU (88th). Only about two and a half weeks remain before the Gamecocks tip off their season opener against North Carolina A&T at Colonial Life Arena.

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