Where South Carolina basketball sits in season's first NET rankings

South Carolina basketball sits at 5-2 overall on the young 2025-2026 season. En route to that record, the Gamecocks lost twice at the Greenbrier Tip-Off but won all of their other games. At times, Lamont Paris’ team has looked much improved from last year’s group. At other times, it has looked like a different version of the same struggling team that finished last in the SEC a year ago and earned similar preseason projections this offseason.

The first NET rankings of the season came out on Monday. In those rankings, South Carolina basketball sits in a slightly better position than its preseason projections. The Gamecocks slotted in at No. 15 in the Southeastern Conference and No. 99 overall. Only Mississippi State (No. 172) ranks lower in the SEC, a product of a 3-4 record.

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).

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!

At the time of this writing, South Carolina does not have any wins over Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents. USC is 0-2 against the Quad 1, losing to No. 21 Butler and No. 48 Northwestern on a neutral floor. They have not played a Quad 2 foe yet. The Gamecocks are 1-0 against the Quad 3 (a home win over Southern Miss). They are 4-0 against Quad 4 opponents, with all of those games coming at home. That discrepancy is a big reason Carolina’s NET ranking is low.

However, Coach Paris and company will have a pair of opportunities to improve those numbers before conference play begins in January.

In addition to four games against lesser opponents, the Gamecocks will face off with a pair of ACC foes, Virginia Tech and Clemson.

The Hokies, who rank 84th in the NET, currently represent a Quad 3 game, but that number likely will improve to Quad 2 later this season.

South Carolina will host Virginia Tech on Tuesday, December 2nd at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks and Hokies will tip off at 7:00 p.m. as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. SEC Network will carry the television broadcast, while the ESPN app makes the action available via streaming. USC has beaten VT the past two seasons, with both games coming in neutral-site contests.

USC is undefeated in two previous appearances in the inter-conference challenge, having beaten Notre Dame at home two seasons ago and Boston College on the road last year.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!