South Carolina men’s basketball opens the 2026-27 season at home tomorrow night, with the Gamecocks set to host Stetson in Colonial Life Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and doors open an hour before game time.
The matchup will be carried on SEC Network+ with Dave Weinstein on play-by-play, John Williams and Perry Clark as analysts. In Columbia, fans can also catch the call on 107.5 The Game with Derek Scott and Casey Manning. The game is available on SiriusXM 263 and the SXM app on channel 973, with live stats through StatBroadcast.
South Carolina enters the opener with a 4-3 edge in the all-time series and a 3-2 advantage in games played in Columbia. The teams have met only twice this millennium, splitting those two games. Their last meeting came on Dec. 6, 2025, when the Gamecocks beat the Hatters 82-51 in Columbia.
The Gamecocks arrive at the opener after a preseason that featured two tight exhibition wins. South Carolina started with a 78-69 victory over Wake Forest, controlling the game for more than 33 minutes.
Jakub Nečas led the way with 22 points off the bench, hitting 6-of-10 from the floor and 7-of-8 at the line. Camden Heide added 14 points, Marcus Johnson scored 13 and Juan Fernández finished with 10.
Fernández was the headline performer in the follow-up 77-68 win over Campbell, piling up 28 points and nine rebounds while shooting 8-for-13 overall and 10-of-12 at the free throw line. Shane Blakeney added 12 points and Kory Mincy scored 11, with Blakeney knocking down each of his first four three-pointers.
Stetson also has a game on its schedule tonight, opening the season with a trip to Clemson. The Hatters played one exhibition this fall and lost 85-68 at top-ranked Florida.
Stetson was within two at halftime before the Gators pulled away in the second half. Thiago Sucatzky and Alex Doyle led the Hatters with 18 points apiece in that game, while Collin Kuhl returns as the team’s leading scorer after averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
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