USC men schedule game against Memphis

Being left out of the Big 12/SEC Challenge stung, but the South Carolina men’s basketball team has found a worthy replacement.

Memphis will visit Columbia on Jan. 2, the Tigers announced on Tuesday. The game likely will be USC's final non-conference game before SEC play and gives it a chance to post an RPI-strengthening win over a “name” opponent, as it did last year with a toppling of Iowa State.

It’s a matchup of long-ago rivals. Each school used to play in the Metro Conference, with Memphis (then known as Memphis State) holding an 18-5 advantage in the overall series. The Tigers and Gamecocks are tied at four wins each in games held in Columbia.

Memphis won the last game in the series, a 59-43 victory in Kansas City on March 19, 2004. That was the Gamecocks’ last appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers haven’t played in Columbia since Feb. 23, 1991, when USC lost 80-58 in the final year of coach George Felton’s tenure.

Memphis is coming off an 18-14 year and missed the postseason for the first time since 2000. Coach Josh Pastner guided the Tigers to four straight NCAA tournaments before last season.

There was a concern of USC finding “big” games for the non-conference schedule, as coach Frank Martin recently said the Gamecocks were way behind in scheduling for this season. That took another hit when USC was one of the four SEC teams not picked for the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

The Gamecocks will begin the SEC schedule on the second available date in January, receiving a bye on the first date. They will play an SEC game (against Alabama, Missouri or Mississippi State) on Jan. 30 while the rest of the league competes in the Challenge.

USC’s only other known games are from Nov. 20-23 in the Paradise Jam (USC will open with DePaul on Nov. 20) and a game against rival Clemson in Greenville. The Clemson date has yet to be determined.

This story was originally published May 26, 2015 at 1:09 PM.