South Carolina’s women were the easy call at the top of the SEC preseason media poll, and the league’s men landed in a spot the Gamecocks know all too well: last.
The women, fresh off a run that included the last five SEC regular-season titles and a trip to their third straight national championship game, were picked to win the league again Monday. If they do it, it would be South Carolina’s 11th SEC title overall. The program has already stacked 10 in the last 13 seasons.
That talent base is still loaded. Forward Joyce Edwards, guard Tessa Johnson and forward Chloe Kitts all made the preseason All-SEC squad, with Edwards landing on the first team. Edwards also received one vote for Preseason SEC Player of the Year, though Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes was the runaway choice after averaging more than 30 points per league game last season.
South Carolina’s dominance wasn’t limited to the SEC poll. The Gamecocks were a unanimous pick to win the league in USA Today’s preseason poll, with Edwards again named a first-teamer. Johnson and Kitts were placed on the second team there, alongside LSU’s MiLaysia Fulwiley and Ole Miss’ Talaysia Cooper, both of whom began their careers at South Carolina.
The preseason buzz around Dawn Staley’s team isn’t close to done. The first Associated Press Top 25 poll of the season comes out at noon on Oct. 20, and South Carolina is considered a strong favorite to open at No. 1.
Staley, Edwards, Kitts and Jordan Lee will represent USC at SEC Tipoff on Tuesday.
The women’s predicted order of finish put Texas second, followed by LSU, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Auburn and Arkansas.
Blakes was voted Preseason Player of the Year, and the preseason first team also included Madison Booker of Texas, Clara Strack of Kentucky and Mikaylah Williams of LSU.
On the men’s side, South Carolina got no lift at all in the preseason poll. The Gamecocks were slotted 16th, the bottom of the league, a familiar place after finishing last and next-to-last over the past two seasons.
That outcome wasn’t a major shock, but it still came with a wrinkle: some around the league expected USC to be placed ahead of LSU, which has not yet released a full eligible roster. Instead, the Gamecocks stayed stuck at the back of the pack.
It’s a big year for Lamont Paris, who was given support from athletic director Jeremiah Donati last season after back-to-back rough finishes following a 26-win 2023-24 campaign. The roster is almost entirely new again, just as it was a year ago.
Florida was picked to win the men’s league, with Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama rounding out the top five. Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU and Mississippi State followed before South Carolina at No. 16.
Thomas Haugh of Florida was selected Preseason Player of the Year, and the first-team group also featured Rueben Chinyelu of Florida, Juke Harris of Tennessee, Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State and Tyler Tanner of Vanderbilt.
South Carolina will be represented at SEC Tipoff by Paris and players Cam Heide, Kory Mincy and Jakub Necas.
In Other News...
Clemson Fans Now Know Virginia Tech Is Getting A Primetime Stage
Clemson fans waiting to circle the Virginia Tech game on the calendar now know it will come under the lights. The ACC announced that the Tigers home meeting with the Hokies on Oct. 24 will kick off at either 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. and air on ESPN or ESPN2, with the final slot and network to be confirmed after Saturdays games.
It adds another familiar night-stage feel to a stretch of Clemson football that has already featured its share of prime-time attention, and it gives the matchup a little extra juice for a Virginia Tech program still working through a coaching change and recent uneven results. For Clemson, its another chance to play in front of a national audience, but the exact window for the Hokies trip to Death Valley remains one more decision away. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Gets A Primetime Test In Death Valley Against A New-Look Hokies Team
Clemsons next ACC home date already has a little extra shine to it, even before the kickoff details are set. Virginia Tech is headed into Death Valley for a primetime matchup that should carry more weight than a typical conference game, with both teams arriving at similar points in the standings and plenty of familiarity with the stakes that come with an October showcase under the lights.
For the Hokies, it will also be a noteworthy first look at Death Valley for James Franklin as head coach, adding another layer to a game that figures to test more than just talent. Clemsons recent form and experience in night games should matter, too, and with the start time and TV channel still to be finalized, there is still some room for the atmosphere to build before the teams ever take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Frontcourt May Hinge On One Big Carter Welling Question
Clemsons frontcourt picture still has a significant blank spot as the Tigers move through the preseason, and Carter Welling remains at the center of it. The forward tore his ACL during the 2026 ACC Tournament and is now working back in rehab after a setback earlier in the offseason, leaving Brad Brownell to sort through the ripple effects of his absence while also tracking the health of other players coming off injuries.
Welling is not practicing yet, but the encouraging part for Clemson is that he is progressing and there is at least a potential return window around the new year. Until then, Brownell is left balancing depth, lineups and development without knowing when one of the key pieces inside will be ready to join the mix again. [Read more 🡒]