South Carolina basketball’s exhibition vs Coker canceled after testing delay
The South Carolina men’s basketball team’s season-opening exhibition game against Coker has been canceled, the team announced Wednesday.
The Gamecocks were slated to open their season at Colonial Life Arena at 6:30 p.m., but the team’s official Twitter account tweeted at 4:17 p.m. that the game had been canceled “due to a delayed delivery of Coker’s COVID-19 testing results in advance of tonight’s exhibition.”
USC’s season will instead open Saturday in Kansas City, where the Gamecocks will face off against Liberty in the first game of the Hall of Fame Classic. USC will play either TCU or Tulsa on Sunday.
The exhibition against Coker was not South Carolina’s original opener. The Gamecocks had come to an agreement with a Division I school to play a regulation game Nov. 25, but that school backed out, creating an opening. When the Gamecocks released their schedule in mid-November, they included a TBA for the opener.
Liberty was also not USC’s original opponent in Kansas City. The Flames replaced Northwestern, who dropped out of the tournament late last week.
USC is scheduled to play eight non-conference games, with four games in Columbia. The team’s 18-game Southeastern Conference schedule kicks off with a Dec. 29 trip to Kentucky.
During a Monday news conference previewing the season, Martin acknowledged the uncertainty of playing during a pandemic and stressed the importance of flexibility.
“At the end of the day, any time we get to play a game this year, it’s a win for our kids,” Martin said. “They put in the time, and mentally they get to do what they love to do.”
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 4:26 PM.
