Preseason SEC MBB predictions are out. Here’s where USC landed
The South Carolina men’s basketball team won’t fare much better in SEC play this season, if the media’s predictions come to fruition.
The Southeastern Conference’s preseason media poll, where all 16 teams are ranked in order of predicted finish, was released Monday. The media members who voted say the Gamecocks will finish last in the league.
Florida was predicted to win the league this season, followed by Kentucky and Tennessee.
South Carolina landed no players on the media’s preseason SEC first, second or third teams.
The Gamecocks were predicted to finish 11th in the conference in the 2024-25 season and fell well short of expectations. Before that, USC was picked last in coach Lamont Paris’ first two seasons, then finished tied for second in 2024 and 12th in 2023.
USC’s low ranking is likely based on two major factors. The first is last season’s results. The Gamecocks had their worst season in the conference under Paris with a 2-16 record in the SEC. The team had a worse overall record at 11-21 in 2022-23, but had a 4-14 conference record.
The second factor is roster turnover. Although it’s not unusual to bring in a large class of newcomers in today’s era of college basketball, getting USC’s 11 new faces to gel is still a challenge. South Carolina’s transfer class was ranked 20th by On3, but seven SEC teams are ranked ahead of the Gamecocks.
Paris, as well as USC players Meechie Johnson, Mike Sharavjamts and Myles Stute will speak with reporters Tuesday at the SEC Tipoff event in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Gamecocks’ season begins Nov. 4 against North Carolina A&T at home, and SEC play opens when USC hosts Vanderbilt Jan. 3.
SEC men’s basketball predicted order of finish
- 1. Florida
- 2. Kentucky
- 3. Tennessee
- 4. Alabama
- 5. Arkansas
- 6. Auburn
- 7. Missouri
- 8. Ole Miss
- 9. Texas
- 10. Mississippi State
- 11. Vanderbilt
- 12. Oklahoma
- 13. Texas A&M
- 14. Georgia
- 15. LSU
- 16. South Carolina
This story was originally published October 13, 2025 at 11:33 AM.
