South Carolina basketball star earns high spot in national ranking
On Monday, On3’s Jamie Shaw released his preseason ranking of the top 125 players in college basketball. As expected, South Carolina basketball star Collin Murray-Boyles featured prominently on the list.
Slotting in at No. 17 in Shaw’s ranking, Murray-Boyles is the third-highest underclassman in the ranking. (He trailed only Duke freshman Cooper Flagg and Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper who are 8th and 15th, respectively.) He is 4th in the SEC after Alabama’s Mark Sears, Auburn’s Johni Broome, and Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor. The only other 2024-2025 Gamecock opponent ranked ahead of Murray-Boyles is Indiana center Oumar Ballo. No true power forwards are placed before CMB as all the other frontcourt players are wings or centers.
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The high ranking tracks similarly to other preseason expectations for Murray-Boyles. The Gamecock forward made the preseason All-SEC team and has been in most NBA Draft mock 1st rounds this offseason. Earlier this offseason, college basketball analytics guru Evan Miyakawa ranked Collin Murray-Boyles as the 22nd most valuable player in the country (and 6th in the SEC).
If the Gamecocks are to replicate or surpass their success from last season, it likely will be on the back of the team’s star sophomore. Murray-Boyles could be the most important player on the team on both offense and defense, and the Columbia native will be asked to carry a heavy load for the Gamecocks any time he is on the floor.
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South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris made some moves this offseason that should help his star player. The Nick Pringle and Jordan Butler additions from the transfer portal eliminate the need to play CMB situationally at center. With a 6’10” starter (Pringle) and 7’0″ reserver (Butler) available to play next to him, Murray-Boyles will have the freedom to attack mismatches at the power forward position with his unique physical traits. When he plays against more traditional bigs, he can use his athleticism edge. In instances in which he matches up with more athletic players, his length and strength become an advantage.
Arguably the most intriguing part of Collin Murray-Boyles’ game is the fact that there is room for significant improvement. He’s already so good without having made a collegiate 3-pointer. If he begins knocking down the occasional perimeter shot, he will open up his offensive options and, perhaps, conserve some energy at the same time.
Murray-Boyles and the Gamecocks will play an exhibition against the College of Wooster (Lamont Paris’ alma mater) on Wednesday before beginning their season officially on November 4th with a home contest against North Florida.
