South Carolina basketball receives disappointing first NET ranking
South Carolina basketball hasn’t had an ideal start to the 2024-2025 season. The Gamecocks are 4-3, giving them the same number of losses they had in mid-February last year. However, there is plenty of time for USC to right the ship, and in a tough SEC, a good finish to the year will put the Gamecocks right back in the NCAA Tournament picture.
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On Monday, the NCAA released the inaugural NET rankings, and South Carolina did not feature prominently. In fact, the Gamecocks slotted into the No. 135 spot in the NET. That is 16th (out of 16) in the SEC.
The NCAA’s rationale behind Carolina’s spot in the ranking is pretty straightforward. The Gamecocks have four wins, and all four wins are “Quad Four wins,” meaning they were over teams ranked 161 or lower at home, 201 or lower at neutral sites, or 241 or lower on the road. USC is 0-3 in games outside of the fourth quadrant, including 0-2 in Quad Three contests. The team’s light schedule (just one game—a loss on the road at Indiana—is viewed as Quad Two or better) hurts, as well.
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As things stand, while the schedule gets tougher soon, the Gamecocks still only have one game above Quad Three before conference play begins. The home contest against Clemson will be South Carolina’s toughest test before SEC play starts after the New Year.
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Up next for the Gamecocks, though, is a road trip to Chestnut Hill. South Carolina will travel to Boston College as part of this year’s SEC/ACC Challenge. The ACC Network will broadcast the 7:00 p.m. contest, and the ESPN app will make it available for streaming.
