# 2021–22 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team

The 2021–22 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by 10th-year head coach Frank Martin, and played their home games at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 18–13, 9–9 in SEC play to finish in a five-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 7 seed in the SEC tournament, they lost to Mississippi State in the second round.
On March 14, 2022, the school fired head coach Frank Martin. On March 24, the school named Chattanooga head coach Lamont Paris the team's new head coach.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Gamecocks finished the 2020–21 season 6–15, 4–12 in SEC play to finish in 12th place. As the No. 11 seed in the SEC tournament they lost in the first round to Ole Miss.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| A. J. Lawson | 00 | G | 6'6" | 177 | Junior | Mississauga, ON | Declare for 2021 NBA draft |
| T. J. Moss | 1 | G | 6'4" | 175 | RS Sophomore | Memphis, TN | Transferred to McNeese State |
| Trey Anderson | 2 | F | 6'6" | 205 | Sophomore | San Diego, CA | Transferred to San Jose State |
| Jalyn McCreary | 4 | F | 6'8" | 235 | Sophomore | Marietta, GA | Transferred to South Florida |
| Justin Minaya | 10 | F | 6'6" | 215 | RS Junior | Harrington Park, NJ | Transferred to Providence |
| Trae Hannibal | 12 | G | 6'3" | 220 | Sophomore | Hartsville, SC | Transferred to Murray State |
| Nathan Nelson | 14 | F | 6'7" | 201 | Junior | Murfreesboro, TN | Walk-on; didn't return |
| Alanzo Frink | 20 | F | 6'8" | 264 | Junior | Jersey City, NJ | Transferred to East Carolina |
| Seventh Woods | 23 | G | 6'2" | 184 | RS Senior | Columbia, SC | Graduate transferred to Morgan State |

### Incoming Transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| James Reese V | 0 | G | 6'4" | 170 | Graduate Student | Eastover, SC | North Texas |
| Chico Carter Jr. | 2 | G | 6'3" | 189 | Junior | Columbia, SC | Murray State |
| Erik Stevenson | 10 | G | 6'4" | 209 | Senior | Lacey, WA | Washington |
| AJ Wilson | 12 | F | 6’7” | 234 | Graduate Student | Laurel, MD | George Mason |
| Brandon Martin | 14 | F | 6'5" | 232 | Senior | Miami, FL | USC Upstate |
| Josh Gray | 33 | C | 7'0" | 255 | Sophomore | Brooklyn, NY | LSU |

### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Devin Carter #22 SG | Miami, FL | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 24, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Jacobi Wright #20 PG | Greenville, SC | Legacy Early College High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 21, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| TaQuan Woodley #29 C | Camden, NJ | Camden High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Nov 19, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Carlous Williams SF | Gulfport, MS | Harrison Central High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "South Carolina 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 10, 2021. "2020 South Carolina Gamecocks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 10, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 10, 2021. ||||||

### 2022 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Zachary Davis SF | Denmark, SC | Denmark-Olar High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jun 21, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "South Carolina 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 10, 2021. "2020 South Carolina Gamecocks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 10, 2021. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 10, 2021. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 4, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | Benedict | W 101–76 | 0–0 | 21 – Reese V | 12 – Gray | 6 – Wright | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | USC Upstate | W 78–60 | 1–0 | 14 – Tied | 8 – Tied | 7 – Couisnard | Colonial Life Arena (10,092) Columbia, SC |
| November 12, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPNews | | vs. Princeton Asheville Championship semifinals | L 62–66 | 1–1 | 17 – Couisnard | 10 – Leveque | 5 – Stevenson | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| November 14, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Western Kentucky Asheville Championship Consolation | W 75–64 | 2–1 | 16 – Tied | 11 – Leveque | 4 – D. Carter | Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, NC |
| November 18, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | UAB | W 66–63 | 3–1 | 15 – Stevenson | 8 – Martin | 3 – 3 tied | Colonial Life Arena (8,856) Columbia, SC |
| November 23, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Wofford | W 85–74 | 4–1 | 25 – Stevenson | 6 – Stevenson | 4 – Reese V | Colonial Life Arena (8,411) Columbia, SC |
| November 28, 2021* 2:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Rider | W 65–58 | 5–1 | 17 – Bryant | 6 – Leveque | 4 – Wright | Colonial Life Arena (8,027) Columbia, SC |
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Coastal Carolina | L 56–80 | 5–2 | 12 – Stevenson | 8 – Wilson | 2 – Tied | HTC Center (2,924) Conway, SC |
| December 5, 2021* 2:00 p.m., SECN | | Georgetown | W 80–67 | 6–2 | 14 – Leveque | 8 – Bryant | 6 – Wright | Colonial Life Arena (9,207) Columbia, SC |
| December 12, 2021* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Florida State No Room for Racism Classic | W 66–65 | 7–2 | 16 – D. Carter | 7 – D. Carter | 4 – Stevenson | Rock Hill Sports & Event Center (1,523) Rock Hill, SC |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Allen | W 110–51 | 8–2 | 12 – Tied | 11 – Martin | 6 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (7,872) Columbia, SC |
| December 18, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Clemson Rivalry | L 56–70 | 8–3 | 21 – Carter Jr. | 7 – Stevenson | 1 – 4 Tied | Littlejohn Coliseum (6,677) Clemson, SC |
| December 22, 2021* 3:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Army | W 105–75 | 9–3 | 22 – Carter Jr. | 6 – Tied | 5 – Stevenson | Colonial Life Arena (9,181) Columbia, SC |
| December 29, 2021* 3:00 p.m., SECN+ | | South Carolina State | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2022 6:30 p.m., SECN | | No. 9 Auburn | L 66–81 | 9–4 (0–1) | 25 – Stevenson | 7 – Tied | 4 – Stevenson | Colonial Life Arena (8,528) Columbia, SC |
| January 8, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Vanderbilt | W 72–70 | 10–4 (1–1) | 13 – Reese V | 6 – Stevenson | 4 – Couisnard | Memorial Gymnasium (5,581) Nashville, TN |
| January 11, 2022 6:30 p.m., SECN | | at No. 22 Tennessee | L 46–66 | 10–5 (1–2) | 15 – Reese V | 6 – Stevenson | 3 – Wright | Thompson–Boling Arena (15,282) Knoxville, TN |
| January 15, 2022 1:00 p.m., SECN | | Florida | L 63–71 | 10–6 (1–3) | 12 – Carter Jr. | 8 – Bryant | 2 – 3 Tied | Colonial Life Arena (10,813) Columbia, SC |
| January 18, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN | | at Arkansas | L 59–75 | 10–7 (1–4) | 20 – D. Carter | 11 – Gray | 3 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 22, 2022 3:30 p.m., SECN | | Georgia | W 83–66 | 11–7 (2–4) | 20 – Stevenson | 7 – Leveque | 4 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (10,478) Columbia, SC |
| January 26, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Vanderbilt | W 70–61 | 12–7 (3–4) | 19 – Reese | 6 – Gray | 4 – 3 tied | Colonial Life Arena (8,768) Columbia, SC |
| January 29, 2022 8:30 p.m., SECN | | at Texas A&M | W 74–63 | 13–7 (4–4) | 20 – Reese | 7 – Bryant | 6 – Cousinard | Reed Arena (9,079) College Station, TX |
| February 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Mississippi State | L 64–78 | 13–8 (4–5) | 15 – Reese | 4 – Wilson | 3 – Reese | Humphrey Coliseum (6,678) Starkville, MS |
| February 5, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS | | No. 22 Tennessee | L 57–81 | 13–9 (4–6) | 13 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 4 – Stevenson | Colonial Life Arena (12,391) Columbia, SC |
| February 8, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 5 Kentucky | L 76–86 | 13–10 (4–7) | 18 – Bryant | 14 – Bryant | 6 – Carter | Colonial Life Arena (12,009) Columbia, SC |
| February 12, 2022 1:00 p.m., SECN | | at Georgia | W 80–68 | 14–10 (5–7) | 22 – Bryant | 8 – Leveque | 7 – Couisnard | Stegeman Coliseum (6,806) Athens, GA |
| February 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Ole Miss | W 77–74 $^{OT}$ | 15–10 (6–7) | 17 – Stevenson | 11 – Carter | 4 – Carter | SJB Pavilion (5,813) Oxford, MS |
| February 19, 2022 3:30 p.m., SECN | | LSU | W 77–75 | 16–10 (7–7) | 33 – Couisnard | 8 – Bryant | 4 – Stevenson | Colonial Life Arena (11,292) Columbia, SC |
| February 23, 2022 6:30 p.m., SECN | | Mississippi State | W 66–56 | 17–10 (8–7) | 22 – Couisnard | 7 – Martin | 5 – D. Carter | Colonial Life Arena (10,129) Columbia, SC |
| February 26, 2022 6:00 p.m., SECN | | at No. 24 Alabama | L 71–90 | 17–11 (8–8) | 17 – Stevenson | 5 – Stevenson | 6 – Stevenson | Coleman Coliseum (11,195) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| March 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Missouri | W 73–69 | 18–11 (9–8) | 17 – Carter | 8 – Carter | 7 – Couisnard | Colonial Life Arena (9,479) Columbia, SC |
| March 5, 2022 1:00 p.m., SECN | | at No. 5 Auburn | L 71–82 | 18–12 (9–9) | 22 – Couisnard | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Neville Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 6:00 p.m., SECN | (7) | vs. (10) Mississippi State Second round | L 51–73 | 18–13 | 18 – Stevenson | 6 – Leveque | 5 – Stevenson | Amalie Arena Tampa, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||