Report: South Carolina set to host North Florida in 2024-25

South Carolina men’s basketball’s 2024-25 schedule continues to take shape as Jon Rothstein reports the Gamecocks will host North Florida as part of the non-conference slate.

Rothstein tweeted out that news Thursday morning, and you can read his report right here: “Source: South Carolina will host North Florida as part of its 2024-25 non-conference schedule.”

The Ospreys finished 16-16 a year ago but did lose their leading scorer, Chaz Lanier, to the transfer portal, with Tennessee and Kentucky being seen as the likely landing spots. So, the Gamecocks will get to face him and his former team this coming season.

That’s not the only scheduling news of the week for the Gamecocks, as the SEC also announced next season’s conference opponents for every team. With Oklahoma and Texas coming over, there’s a bit of a change as each team will only face three foes twice.

So for Carolina, you can see who is coming to Columbia vs. who the Gamecocks are facing on the road. They face Mississippi State, Florida and Georgia twice apiece:

South Carolina SEC opponents

HOME

Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Texas
Texas A&M

AWAY

at Florida
at Georgia
at Kentucky
at LSU
at Mississippi State
at Missouri
at Oklahoma
at Tennessee
at Vanderbilt

Gamecocks land Norfolk State transfer

Jamarii Thomas, the reigning MEAC Player of the Year, has flipped his commitment from VCU to South Carolina after transferring away from Norfolk State.

The 6-foot-0 guard, originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, originally committed to VCU at the tail end of April. However, when the Gamecocks came calling, Thomas picked up the phone and will now head to Columbia for the 2024-25 season.

Thomas led the entire MEAC in scoring last season at 16.9 points per game. The Norfolk State junior also finished second in the conference in assists (3.8) while leading the way in steals (2.1). Along with being named the conference player of the year, Thomas was also first-team All-Defense. 

Thomas, who played his junior season at Norfolk State this year, played his first two college seasons at UNC Wilmington. He’ll remain on the east coast but begin next fall at his third different home.

This is a terrific get for head coach Lamont Paris. Leading a conference in scoring and steals per game is pretty darn impressive, and there’s no reason to think Thomas’ contributions won’t translate to a higher level of play. He could very well be the best player on the team next season.