South Carolina basketball's updated place in NET rankings
South Carolina basketball is now 0-5 in SEC play. The Gamecocks have dealt with injuries, a tough schedule, and some less-than-stellar play over the past three weeks. However, the road doesn’t get any easier as USC’s next two opponents are ranked, including the No. 5 Florida Gators. If Lamont Paris’ team is going to turn things around, it has to start now despite the tough road ahead.
The good news for the Gamecocks, though, is that the team’s strength of schedule has kept the team’s NET ranking afloat through the struggles. As of Monday evening, South Carolina sat in the No. 91 spot in the NET. That is the same exact place as last week before they added two losses to their resume.
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 efficient ratings (how well a team plays in those games, adjusted for the quality of opponent and location of games).
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Because of the strength of the 2024-2025 version of the SEC, South Carolina’s NET ranking won’t dip much with losses and will improve with wins. In fact, the Gamecocks own the toughest 2025 portion of that schedule in the entire country.
Out of 16 SEC teams, South Carolina is last in NET ranking. However, if the Gamecocks can turn it around, they will jump up quickly. Every game left on USC’s schedule is a Quad 1 or Quad 2 opportunity. Making the NCAA Tournament again likely will require Lamont Paris and company to win at least eight games in conference play or to make a run all the way through the SEC Tournament in March. If Carolina were to flip the switch, they would drastically improve their Quad 1 and Quad 2 record. That combined number currently sits at 1-7.
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South Carolina will have two Quad 1 chances upcoming this week.
First, the Gamecocks will host the Florida Gators, a team whose spot in the NET (5) matches its AP ranking. South Carolina then will have another home game, this one against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (14th in AP, 17th in NET).
The Gamecocks and Gators will tip off at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. SEC Network will handle coverage for the game, while the ESPN app will stream the contest.
On Saturday, the Gamecocks and Bulldogs will play at 1:00 p.m. in Colonial Life Arena. That game also will be broadcast on SEC Network and streamed on the ESPN app.
