Where college basketball ratings gurus rank South Carolina

South Carolina basketball will begin its 2025-2026 season in just about three weeks. The Gamecocks tip off their first official game on Tuesday, November 4th against North Carolina A&T.

With SEC Media Days this week, USC is likely going to earn the dubious distinction of being the preseason last-place team in the Southeastern Conference. However, there is confidence around the program that Carolina can outperform those expectations.

But what do some of the national ratings gurus think about South Carolina heading into year four of the Lamont Paris era?

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Ken Pomeroy agrees that South Carolina is the SEC’s 16th-best team. In his preseason KenPom rankings, the Gamecocks are No. 86 nationally, 28 spots lower than the 15th-place Oklahoma Sooners. Pomeroy also lists USC as the No. 85 national offense and the No. 97 national defense.

A similar sentiment is shared by Evan Miyakawa. The EvanMiya ratings place South Carolina 94th overall. That is 33 spots lower than the SEC’s 15th team, the LSU Tigers. Miyakawa ranks the Gamecocks 113th on offense, 86th on defense, and 90th in roster talent.

Bart Torvik is lower on Paris’ team. He considers South Carolina to be college basketball’s No. 107 team. That is 41 places lower than LSU, the 15th-ranked team from the SEC. Offensively, the Gamecocks rank No. 111 nationally. Defensively, USC is 100th. He also predicts a 13-18 overall record for the team and a 4-14 mark in conference play.

In both the projected player rankings from Miyakawa and Torvik, transfer portal senior Mike Sharavjamts earned distinction as the best player on the team. Sharavjamts will play multiple positions for the Gamecocks and will be one of the team’s primary ballhandlers and a versatile defender.

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Several South Carolina assistant coaches and players have publicly embraced the low expectations. Various uses of phrases like “chip on our shoulders,” “keep doubting,” or “we love being slept on” were used during the Gamecocks’ team media day two weeks ago.

It is worth noting that the 2023-2024 team was picked last in the SEC, as well. That year, South Carolina finished tied-for-second in the SEC and made the NCAA Tournament.

The Gamecocks will play a “secret scrimmage” against Georgia Tech and a preseason exhibition against NC State (Sunday, October 26th in Greensboro, North Carolina) before beginning the season the first full week of November.

South Carolina and North Carolina A&T will tip off at 7:00 p.m. in Colonial Life Arena on Tuesday, November 4th. The game will not be on traditional television but will stream on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.

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