South Carolina entered Monday’s first SEC men’s basketball projections exactly where Lamont Paris probably didn’t want to see it: dead last.
The Gamecocks were picked to finish 16th in the league’s media “order of finish” poll, with Florida tabbed as the conference favorite. Texas landed second, followed by Arkansas and Tennessee. It was another rough early read on where Paris’ team sits in the SEC pecking order, and it came with South Carolina getting shut out of the preseason all-conference teams as well.
Florida senior forward Thomas Haugh was chosen as the SEC’s preseason player of the year, and no Gamecock made the first, second or third All-SEC team.
South Carolina is coming off a 13-19 season and a roster makeover that left Paris with just three returning players. The rest of the group is made up of 12 newcomers, mostly transfers, along with freshman Marcus Johnson.
The timing of the poll arrived one day before the SEC’s annual media event in Birmingham, Alabama, where Paris and USC players Cam Heise, Kory Mincy and Jakub Necas are scheduled to speak to reporters on Tuesday.
The early forecast also matches last season’s finish in the sense that South Carolina was picked last for the 2025-26 season, then ended up 15th in the final standings.
Here’s how the league was stacked in the media’s order of finish: 1.
Florida 2.
Texas 3.
Arkansas 4.
Tennessee 5.
Alabama 6.
Vanderbilt 7.
Kentucky 8.
Missouri 9.
Auburn 10.
Texas A&M 11.
Georgia 12.
Oklahoma 13.
Ole Miss 14.
LSU 15.
Mississippi State 16.
South Carolina
The preseason honors list also included Rueben Chinyelu of Florida, Juke Harris of Tennessee, Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State, Tyler Tanner of Vanderbilt, Amari Allen of Alabama, Alex Condon of Florida, Milan Momcilovic of Kentucky, Jordan Smith Jr. of Arkansas, Matas Vokietaitis of Texas, PJ Haggerty of Texas A&M, Malachi Moreno of Kentucky, Tahaad Pettiford of Auburn, David Punch of Texas and Billy Richmond III of Arkansas.
South Carolina begins its preseason Thursday against Wake Forest at the Rock Hill Exhibition Center.
In Other News...
South Carolina Has One Lingering Injury Concern Before Tennessee
South Carolina came out of the Florida game already juggling its depth chart, with several key players sidelined by injury and cornerback Judge Collier leaving early as well. Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Julian Walker, Quay'sheed Scott and Carter Miller were all unavailable, forcing the Gamecocks to work through the kind of next-man-up stretch that can quickly reshape both practice reps and game planning this time of year.
There is at least some good news as Tennessee approaches. Shane Beamer said every injured player except Scott is expected to be available for the matchup, leaving one lingering concern the staff still has to sort through after further testing. For a team trying to steady itself after a physical SEC game, that lone uncertainty is the one injury situation worth watching closest this week. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Beamer May Have Finally Lit A Fire Under LaNorris Sellers
Shane Beamers challenge to LaNorris Sellers seemed designed to jolt the sophomore quarterback out of any comfort zone, and it came at a time when South Carolina needed its offense to show more consistency. Instead of treating the warning as background noise, Sellers answered with one of his best outings of the season in the Gamecocks win over Florida, helping steady an attack that had been looking for a cleaner rhythm.
What stood out most was how controlled Sellers looked. He converted third downs at a strong rate, protected the football and gave South Carolina the kind of efficient quarterback play Beamer has been pushing for, while Pro Football Focus tagged him with an 80.9 offensive grade, one of the better marks among SEC passers that week. For a team trying to climb into a more reliable offensive identity, the timing could hardly be better. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Stewart Gave South Carolina More Than A Breakout Return
Dylan Stewarts return against Florida gave South Carolina exactly what it needed on the field, and a little more besides. The sophomore defensive end finished with five tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles in the Gamecocks 38-19 win, a disruptive outing that reminded everyone why his presence changes the shape of the defense when he is right.
Shane Beamer had plenty to point to afterward, praising Stewarts performance and discipline during the game while also noting the way he handled the week in the classroom. For South Carolina, that kind of growth matters almost as much as the splash plays, because Stewarts value is tied not only to what he does off the edge, but to how quickly he keeps building into a steadier force on and off the field. [Read more 🡒]