South Carolina women's basketball: Breaking down the 2024-25 schedule
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The speculation is over. South Carolina announced its full 2024-25 schedule on Monday. Now it’s time to break it all down.
By the numbers
The schedule has 30 games (16 SEC, 14 non-conference) and two exhibitions. There are 15 home games, 11 road games, and four neutral site games. There are only five games against non-power conference opponents.
South Carolina plays 22 games against teams that had winning records last season and 16 games against teams that made the NCAA Tournament. Six opponents made the Sweet 16, four made the Elite Eight, and two made the Final Four.
South Carolina hasn’t lost a regular-season game in two seasons. The last regular season loss was on December 30, 2021, at Missouri, a 73-game winning streak.
Breakdown
The schedule is challenging as usual. There is a stretch from November 20 to December 8 where South Carolina plays six straight power conference foes with only one home game.
In the non-conference slate, UCLA and UConn are projected Final Four contenders, as are Texas and LSU from the SEC. NC State is coming off a Final Four appearance and returns many of its key players.
Duke and Iowa State are perennial tournament teams, and TCU was headed for the tournament before being decimated by injuries.
But the schedule is kind of top-heavy and the middle section is somewhat lacking. Clemson and Purdue are among the weaker power conference programs, and Michigan is replacing almost its entire rotation from last season. There also aren’t the usual strong mid-major opponents that Dawn Staley likes to schedule as preparation for the NCAA Tournament.
USF has made eight of the last 11 tournaments but missed last season. East Carolina was expected to contend for the AAC title last season but went just 9-9 in the conference.
There is the usual collection of guarantee games, but they at least carry some interest. Playing Coppin State in basketball probably still sends shivers down the spines of some Gamecock fans. The games against Charleston Southern and Wofford are a way to involve fans of in-state schools.
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FAM-friendly?
The schedule isn’t as fan-friendly as the past few seasons when the big games were at home or within easy driving distance. The Gamecocks get UConn, Texas, LSU, and Duke at home, but the other marquee games are on the road. Playing NC State in Charlotte is an easy trip, but the trips to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Fort Worth, and Fort Myers are long trips.
At least none of them requires a passport.
The SEC Tournament is in Greenville again. The NCAA Tournament regional hosts are Birmingham, AL, and Spokane, WA, and the Final Four is back in Tampa, the site of South Carolina’s first Final Four appearance. As long as the Gamecocks don’t get sent to Spokane, it’s a more drivable postseason than the last few.
Schedule
October 15 at Memphis (exhibition)
October 28 vs Clayton State (exhibition)
November 4 vs Michigan (in Las Vegas)
November 10 vs NC State (in Charlotte)
November 12 vs Coppin State
November 17 vs East Carolina
November 20 at Clemson
November 24 at UCLA
November 28 vs Iowa State (in Fort Myers, FL)
November 30 vs Purdue (in Fort Myers, FL)
December 5 vs Duke (ACC/SEC Challenge)
December 8 at TCU
December 15 vs USF
December 19 vs Charleston Southern
December 29 vs Wofford
January 2 at Missouri
January 5 at Mississippi State
January 9 vs Texas A&M
January 12 vs Texas
January 16 at Alabama
January 19 vs Oklahoma
January 23 vs LSU
January 27 at Tennessee
February 2 vs Auburn
February 6 at Georgia
February 9 at Texas
February 13 vs Florida
February 16 vs UConn
February 20 vs Arkansas
February 23 at Vanderbilt
February 27 at Ole Miss
March 2 vs Kentucky
