3 things to watch for in South Carolina MBB’s exhibition vs. NC State
Talking season is almost over. All the hot takes and predictions can finally be put aside. The only thing left is to see what happens on the court — almost.
There’s one more obstacle in the way before South Carolina men’s basketball can tip off its 2025-26 season for real: An exhibition Sunday (4:30 p.m.) against N.C. State at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
USC reportedly beat Georgia Tech in a secret scrimmage Oct. 18. Now, the Gamecocks can shake off any last bits of rust and potentially show fans what to expect for the year before the results really count.
Here are three things to watch in the first look at the newest edition of Gamecock men’s basketball:
How USC fares vs. ACC team
It’s well-established that USC’s non-conference schedule is not exactly a gauntlet. That means the opportunity to pick up quality, Quadrant 1 wins — which significantly boost an NCAA Tournament resume — come few and far between before SEC play. In fact, Clemson is the only potential Quad 1 win on USC’s non-con slate based on the preseason KenPom rankings.
Quad 1 wins come from one of three results: Beating a top-30 NET team at home, taking down a top-50 team at a neutral site or winning against a top-75 team on the road.
If Sunday’s exhibition was a real game, a win for USC would fall under the Quad 1 umbrella. While beating the Wolfpack (N.C. State is ranked 38th in the NET) in an exhibition won’t be considered by the selection committee come March, it will be an indicator of how the Gamecocks could fare against similar-quality opponents.
Starting five
USC coach Lamont Paris has raved about his team’s depth . But only five players can touch the court when it’s time for tip-off. Here’s who the Gamecocks might roll out for Sunday and beyond:
- G Meechie Johnson, redshirt senior
- G Mike Sharavjamnts, senior
- G Myles Stute, redshirt senior
- F Elijah Strong, junior
- F Christ Essandoko, redshirt junior
Johnson and Sharavjamnts are the biggest locks to make the starting lineup. They’ve received the most buzz internally and from outside pundits and will likely serve as USC’s initiators on offense. Stute’s experience both overall and within Paris’ system should get him the nod to round out the Gamecocks backcourt to start the year.
The frontcourt is where things could vary. Strong has received plenty of praise from USC’s staff and his teammates in preseason, and his versatility should earn him minutes whether as a starter or off the bench. Essandoko is one of just two 7-footers on the team alongside Jordan Butler, and he’s the more experienced of the two. They’ll need him to ward off opposing offenses from the interior.
Lineups can and will change over the course of the season, but this group seems the most equipped to take on the majority of opponents at least through non-conference play.
Bench contributors
Former NBA coach and current Miami Heat team president Pat Riley has an old adage for playoff basketball: Use eight, rotate seven, play six and trust five. While the professional and collegiate game are unique from each other, this principle applies to important games and situations at both levels.
Let’s assume the projected starting five listed above is correct. Who should be the first three players off the bench? The answer isn’t as simple as you might expect.
Kobe Knox and Eli Ellis should be the first two substitutions, and the order depends on what the situation demands. Knox is a 6-foot-4, experienced guard with a knack for defense. Ellis is an undersized scorer, listed at 6-feet tall, who is likely to play a spark-plug role and provide extra offense to supplement the starters.
It gets tricky when pinning down the eighth man. Senior forward Nordin Kapic provides outside shooting if he can find consistency. Maybe sophomore guard Cam Scott has carved out a role in Paris’ system. Butler is the only other true big on the team. And there’s a chance for one of the other four Gamecock freshmen to make waves.
If USC could only roster eight players, Kapic is probably the last man in.
South Carolina men’s basketball non-conference schedule
- Sunday: vs. N.C. State (exhibition in Greensboro), 4:30 p.m.
- Nov. 4: vs. North Carolina A&T, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 9: vs. Southern Mississippi, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Nov. 12: vs. Presbyterian, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 18: vs. Radford, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Nov. 21: vs. Butler (at Greenbrier Tip-Off in WVa.), 2 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
- Nov. 23: vs. Northwestern (at Greenbrier Tip-Off in WVa.), 5 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
- Nov. 28: vs. Charleston Southern, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Dec. 2: vs. Virginia Tech (ACC/SEC Challenge), 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Dec. 6: vs. Stetson, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Dec. 13: vs. The Citadel, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Dec. 16: at Clemson, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
- Dec. 22: vs. S.C. State, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Dec. 30: vs. Albany, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
