How ETSU landed on USC women’s basketball schedule for Gamecocks’ season opener
South Carolina searched for a new team to face in its season opener. It found the answer in the Southern Conference.
East Tennessee State completed the USC’s women’s basketball schedule last month after South Carolina needed a new opponent for its Nov. 7 season opener at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks reached out to ETSU about playing.
The Buccaneers were originally scheduled to face Virginia University of Lynchburg on Nov. 7 but moved the game to December, ETSU interim athletic director Richard Sander told The State.
East Tennessee State will receive $24,000 from the Gamecocks for the game, according to records obtained by The State.
“They’re a powerhouse,” Sander said. “I think this is an opportunity for our student-athletes to kind of get a feel for where they are, from a standpoint of playing against the very best.”
While the Gamecocks are the reigning national champions, the Buccaneers are in a period of transition.
They went 6-22 last season and will start this year with a new head coach. The team in August hired Brenda Mock Brown, who coached at UNC Asheville from 2012 to 2020. ETSU’s last season with a .500 record was 2017-18, and the Buccaneers made the WNIT that year.
ETSU is no stranger to SEC basketball, as it has played in-state opponent Tennessee each year since the 2015-16 season. East Tennessee State came close to knocking off the Volunteers in 2019, losing by four. The Gamecocks are its only SEC opponent for the 2022-23 campaign.
The last time the Buccaneers played USC was in 2018, when South Carolina won 101-55 in the Vancouver Showcase. The teams will meet again in November, this time in Colonial Life Arena.
“It’ll be a great experience for them,” Sander said. “I’m pretty sure there’ll be a pretty big crowd there.”
For the Gamecocks, this game replaces its original matchup against BYU, which was canceled by Dawn Staley in September after alleged racist comments were made toward Duke at a Cougars volleyball game.
The Gamecocks’ game against ETSU is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Nov. 7 on SEC Network.
USC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2022-23 SCHEDULE
Oct. 31: home vs. Benedict (exhibition), 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Nov. 7: home vs. ETSU, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Nov. 11: at Maryland, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
Nov. 17: at Clemson, 7 p.m. (TV/stream is TBD)
Nov. 20: at Stanford, 3 p.m. (ABC)
Nov. 22: at Cal Poly, 8 p.m. (TV/stream is TBD)
Nov. 27: home vs. Hampton, noon (SEC Network Plus)
Nov. 29: home vs. UCLA, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Dec. 3: home vs. Memphis, 3 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Dec. 11: home vs. Liberty, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Dec. 15: at South Dakota State, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Dec. 18: home vs. Charleston Southern, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Dec 21: home vs. Coastal Carolina, noon (SEC Network Plus)
Dec. 29: home vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2)
Jan. 2: at Georgia, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 5: home vs. Auburn, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Jan. 8: at Mississippi State, 1 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2)
Jan. 12: at Kentucky, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Jan. 15: home vs. Missouri, 1 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2)
Jan. 19: at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Jan. 22: home vs. Arkansas, 3 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2)
Jan. 29: at Alabama, 1 p.m. (SEC Network or ESPN2)
Feb. 2: home vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 5: at UConn, noon (Fox)
Feb. 9: at Auburn, 8 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Feb. 12: home vs. LSU, 2 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 16: home vs. Florida, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Feb. 19: at Ole Miss, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)
Feb. 23: at Tennessee, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 26: home vs. Georgia, noon (SEC Network or ESPN2)
