South Carolina men’s basketball unveiled its non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season this week, highlighted by an opening night matchup against Stetson and an exhibition game set for Rock Hill. The announcement gives fans across the state their first full look at how the winter schedule will unfold before conference play begins.
The Gamecocks will open the regular season at home against Stetson on November 3 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia. Before that, the program’s first exhibition game will be played on October 15 at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center, bringing a preseason tune-up directly to the Upstate rather than keeping it confined to Columbia.
Following the season opener, South Carolina will host a stretch of home games against Southeast Missouri State, Saint Peter’s, Gardner-Webb, and Elon, rounding out a five-game homestand to begin the year. That homestand gives the coaching staff an extended window to evaluate personnel and rotations before facing tougher competition.
The schedule also includes a notable early road trip. South Carolina will travel to face North Carolina State on December 1 as part of the ACC-SEC Challenge, marking the program’s first regular-season meeting with the Wolfpack since 2007. The two programs have not met on a regular-season court in nearly two decades, making the renewal a schedule highlight for fans who track historical series.
South Carolina will also face Maryland at a neutral site in Baltimore, the first meeting between the two programs since a 2005 postseason tournament matchup. Rounding out the slate is a home game against UT Martin, a team coming off a 22-win season and considered one of the tougher potential trap games on the early schedule.
The non-conference slate wraps up before South Carolina opens Southeastern Conference play on the road at LSU on January 2. Coaches have described the schedule as a deliberate mix of manageable home games and higher-profile matchups designed to prepare the roster for the grind of SEC play once January arrives.
