South Carolina basketball's latest position in KenPom rankings
So far, the 2024-2025 South Carolina basketball team is 2-2 on the season. The Gamecocks lost the season opener to North Florida, won two in a row against South Carolina State and Towson, and then fell on the road against a ranked Indiana Hoosiers squad.
Despite two early-season losses, there is still plenty of time for Lamont Paris’ team to make up ground on their NCAA Tournament resume.
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In fact, the up-and-down start to the year hasn’t shifted the Gamecocks’ standing in the KenPom rankings very much. South Carolina spent the preseason fluctuating between different rankings in the 60s, but even with two losses on the ledger, Coach Paris’ group didn’t move down much as USC sits 71st in the latest update.
Being ranked No. 71 does mean that Carolina has dropped when compared to other SEC programs. Before games began, the Gamecocks were 14th in the league; now, they are 15th, only ahead of the Vanderbilt Commodores.
South Carolina’s 71st spot in the rankings comes thanks, in part, to less-than-ideal efficiency. According to KenPom’s efficiency metrics, the Gamecocks are No. 92 offensively and No. 62 defensively. A silver lining exists, however. In the early goings of the season, Carolina is 329th out of 364 teams in KenPom “luck.” That means that the Gamecocks’ process has been significantly better than the results would indicate.
Coach Paris’ unit will have plenty of upcoming opportunities to better themselves in Pomeroy’s eyes.
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Following a Thursday contest against Mercer, the Gamecocks will travel to Florida for the Fort Myers Tip-Off. While there, USC will play the Xavier Musketeers and the winner between the Michigan Wolverines and the Virginia Tech Hokies. Both Xavier and Michigan are inside KenPom’s top 50, and Virginia Tech is just outside of the top 100. Xavier and Michigan represent Quad 1 NET opportunities for South Carolina’s resume, while Virginia Tech is a Quad 3 game that could improve quickly to Quad 2.
Immediately after the Florida trip, Carolina will get a Quad 2 road chance against Boston College in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Then, before Christmas, a home rivalry battle against the Clemson Tigers will give the Gamecocks a Quad 1 opportunity.
If South Carolina can finish non-conference play with a solid record, SEC play will provide the Gamecocks with a long line of resume boosters. As one of the best conferences in the sport, the Southeastern Conference standings will be pivotal on Selection Sunday. A tied-for-second league finish last year propelled USC to the NCAA Tournament. Anything close to that this year will do the same.
The Gamecocks’ Thursday bout with Mercer is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will be streamable on SEC Network+.
