Mark your calendars: South Carolina women’s basketball’s 2025-26 schedule is set
The South Carolina women’s basketball team released its full 2025-26 schedule on Friday.
Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks will start their season with an exhibition against North Carolina (in Atlanta) on Oct. 30.
South Carolina’s regular-season opener will be against Grand Canyon in Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 3. The Antelopes are led by first-year head coach Winston Gandy, who left Staley’s staff at USC in April to take the job.
Other non-conference opponents include a multi-team event with Duke/UCLA/Texas in Las Vegas and road matchups with Southern Cal, Louisville, South Florida, Florida Gulf Coast and Coppin State. The Gamecocks’ other non-conference home games will be against Clemson, Bowling Green, N.C. Central, Penn State, Providence, Winthrop and Queens.
Notably absent on the list of non-conference opponents is UConn. South Carolina and UConn will not play in the regular season for the first time in 11 seasons.
USC’s road game at Coppin State is scheduled for Jan. 18, which is not long after SEC play begins. The Gamecocks typically broke up conference play in recent years with that annual game against UConn.
South Carolina’s highest-profile non-conference matchups project to be against Louisville, Southern Cal, Duke and either Texas or UCLA. Each of those teams made the NCAA Tournament last year. All of those games are on the road or at a neutral site.
The best non-conference home games project to be the opener against Grand Canyon and the rivalry matchup with Clemson.
South Carolina’s SEC opener will be on Jan. 1 at home against Alabama. South Carolina will play Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Texas at home in Colonial Life Arena.
USC will hit the road to play Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Texas A&M and Oklahoma in SEC play this coming season. That means the first time facing Gamecocks transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley — now with LSU — will happen in Baton Rouge on Feb. 14, a rare Saturday date for an SEC women’s basketball game. (Most games are Sunday or Thursday, with one game on a Monday.)
Tip times and TV/streaming details will be announced at a later date.
Here’s the Gamecocks’ schedule:
South Carolina women’s basketball 2025-26 schedule
- Oct. 30 exhibition vs North Carolina (at State Farm Arena in Atlanta)
- Nov. 3 vs Grand Canyon
- Nov. 7 vs Bowling Green
- Nov. 11 vs Clemson
- Nov. 15 vs Southern California (at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles)
- Nov. 19 vs Winthrop
- Nov. 23 vs Queens
- Nov. 26 vs Duke (at Players Era Championship in Las Vegas)
- Nov. 27 vs UCLA or Texas (at Players Era Championship in Las Vegas)
- Dec. 4 at Louisville (ACC-SEC Challenge)
- Dec. 7 vs NC Central
- Dec. 14 vs Penn State
- Dec. 18 at South Florida
- Dec. 20 at Florida Gulf Coast
- Dec. 28 vs Providence
- Jan. 1 vs Alabama
- Jan. 4 at Florida
- Jan. 8 at Arkansas
- Jan. 11 vs Georgia
- Jan. 15 vs Texas
- Jan. 18 at Coppin State
- Jan. 22 at Oklahoma
- Jan. 25 vs Vanderbilt
- Jan. 29 at Auburn
- Feb. 2 at Texas A&M
- Feb. 5 vs Mississippi State
- Feb. 8 vs Tennessee
- Feb. 14 at LSU
- Feb. 19 at Alabama
- Feb. 22 vs Ole Miss
- Feb. 26 vs Missouri
- March 1 at Kentucky
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 12:34 PM.
