# 2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team

The 2023–24 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team, led by second-year head coach Lamont Paris, played their home games at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 13,397 in 17 games in 2023-24.
South Carolina achieved its first ranking since 2017, as well as its highest ranking since 1997. The Gamecocks made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, losing in the first round to Oregon. Their final total of 26 wins is tied for the most wins in school history. For leading his team to a historic turnaround - from finishing next to last in the SEC the previous season to finishing the 2024 season tied for second place in the conference - Lamont Paris was awarded SEC Coach of the Year.

## Previous season

The Gamecocks finished the 2022–23 season 11–20, 4–14 in SEC play to finish in twelfth place. As the No. 12 seed in the SEC tournament, they lost to Ole Miss in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Chico Carter Jr. | 2 | G | 6'3" | 192 | Senior | Columbia, SC | Graduate transferred to DePaul |
| Tre-Vaugh Minott | 4 | F | 6'9" | 258 | Junior | Montreal, QC | Transferred to Portland State |
| Hayden Brown | 10 | F | 6'5" | 234 | GS Senior | Greer, SC | Graduated |
| Ja'Von Benson | 21 | F | 6'7" | 253 | Junior | Columbia, SC | Transferred to Hampton |
| G. G. Jackson | 23 | F | 6'9 | 215 | Freshman | Columbia, SC | Declare for 2023 NBA draft; selected 45th overall by Memphis Grizzlies |
| Daniel Hankins-Sanford | 30 | F | 6'8" | 233 | Freshman | Charlotte, NC | Transferred to UMass |
| Ford Cooper Jr. | 44 | G | 6'3" | 193 | Senior | Charlotte, NC | Walk-on; graduate transferred to Hampton |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| B.J. Mack | 2 | F/C | 6'8" | 245 | GS Senior | Charlotte, NC | Wofford |
| Stephen Clark | 4 | F | 6'8" | 205 | GS Senior | Charlotte, NC | The Citadel |
| Myles Stute | 10 | F | 6'7" | 215 | Senior | Washington, D.C. | Vanderbilt |
| Ta'Lon Cooper | 55 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Senior | Roebuck, SC | Minnesota |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Collin Murray-Boyles #19 SF | Columbia, SC | A. C. Flora High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 7, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Arden Conyers #83 SF | Columbia, SC | Westwood High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 8, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 ||||||
| Morris Ugusuk PG | Finland | N/A | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | N/A | May 3, 2023 |
| Star ratings: 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 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023. "2023 South Carolina Gamecocks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Okku Federiko PF | Helsinki, Finland | N/A | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Apr 29, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Trent Noah SF/SG | Harlan, KY | Harlan County | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Oct 1, 2023 |
| Star ratings: 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 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024. "2024 South Carolina Gamecocks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m., − | | Wofford | W 60–57 | − | 14 – Mack | 11 – Stute | 4 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (2) Columbia, SC |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | USC Upstate | W 82–53 | 1–0 | 15 – Tied | 8 – Davis | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (11,216) Columbia, SC |
| November 10, 2023* 9:30 p.m., ACCN | | vs. Virginia Tech He Gets Us Hall of Fame Series | W 79–77 | 2–0 | 21 – Stute | 7 – Bosmans-Verdonk | 7 – Cooper | Spectrum Center (6,783) Charlotte, NC |
| November 13, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | VMI Arizona Tip-Off campus site game | W 74–64 | 3–0 | 17 – Mack | 13 – Mack | 7 – Cooper | Colonial Life Arena (10,449) Columbia, SC |
| November 18, 2023* 12:00 a.m., CBSSN | | vs. DePaul Arizona Tip-Off semifinals | W 73–68 | 4–0 | 24 – Johnson | 7 – Tied | 5 – Cooper | Desert Diamond Arena (3,214) Glendale, AZ |
| November 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Grand Canyon Arizona Tip-Off championship game | W 75–68 | 5–0 | 27 – Mack | 6 – Johnson | 5 – Cooper | Desert Diamond Arena (2,589) Glendale, AZ |
| November 28, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN | | Notre Dame ACC–SEC Challenge | W 65–53 | 6–0 | 29 – Johnson | 5 – Tied | 4 – Cooper | Colonial Life Arena (15,215) Columbia, SC |
| December 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | George Washington | W 89–67 | 7–0 | 24 – Johnson | 8 – Johnson | 8 – Cooper | Colonial Life Arena (10,936) Columbia, SC |
| December 6, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | at No. 24 Clemson Rivalry | L 67–72 | 7–1 | 26 – Johnson | 7 – Mack | 4 – Johnson | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC |
| December 9, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at East Carolina | W 68–62 | 8–1 | 15 – Tied | 8 – Mack | 3 – Tied | Williams Arena (5,568) Greenville, NC |
| December 16, 2023* 6:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | Charleston Southern | W 73–69 | 9–1 | 16 – Mack | 6 – Tied | 5 – Ugusuk | Colonial Life Arena (10,006) Columbia, SC |
| December 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | Winthrop | W 72–62 | 10–1 | 20 – Johnson | 7 – Mack | 5 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (9,455) Columbia, SC |
| December 22, 2023* 6:00 p.m., SECN | | Elon | W 70–43 | 11–1 | 17 – Cooper | 8 – Stute | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (10,203) Columbia, SC |
| December 30, 2023* 2:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | | Florida A&M | W 94–62 | 12–1 | 17 – Murray-Boyles | 9 – Clark | 6 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (11,070) Columbia, SC |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| January 6, 2024 12:00 p.m., CBS | | Mississippi State | W 68–62 | 13–1 (1–0) | 24 – Johnson | 6 – Tied | 7 – Cooper | Colonial Life Arena (11,382) Columbia, SC |
| January 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN | | at Alabama | L 47–74 | 13–2 (1–1) | 16 – Johnson | 6 – Mack | 2 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (10,208) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 13, 2024 3:30 p.m., SECN | | at Missouri | W 71–69 $^{OT}$ | 14–2 (2–1) | 21 – Mack | 8 – Cooper | 3 – Tied | Mizzou Arena (11,135) Columbia, MO |
| January 16, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Georgia | L 69–74 | 14–3 (2–2) | 19 – Johnson | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (12,404) Columbia, SC |
| January 20, 2024 1:00 p.m., SECN | | at Arkansas | W 77–64 | 15–3 (3–2) | 18 – Mack | 9 – Mack | 5 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 23, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN | | No. 6 Kentucky | W 79–62 | 16–3 (4–2) | 20 – Cooper | 9 – Murray-Boyles | 5 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| January 27, 2024 1:00 p.m., SECN | | Missouri | W 72–64 | 17–3 (5–2) | 21 – Mack | 8 – Murray-Boyles | 4 – Cooper | Colonial Life Arena (13,553) Columbia, SC |
| January 30, 2024 6:30 p.m., SECN | | at No. 5 Tennessee | W 63–59 | 18–3 (6–2) | 18 – Cooper | 7 – Gray | 6 – Johnson | Thompson–Boling Arena (20,667) Knoxville, TN |
| February 3, 2024 1:00 p.m., SECN | | at Georgia | W 72–62 | 19–3 (7–2) | 16 – Murray-Boyles | 8 – Gray | 8 – Cooper | Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) Athens, GA |
| February 6, 2024 6:30 p.m., SECN | No. 15 | Ole Miss | W 68–65 | 20–3 (8–2) | 16 – Murray-Boyles | 9 – Murray-Boyles | 8 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| February 10, 2024 1:00 p.m., SECN | No. 15 | Vanderbilt | W 75–60 | 21–3 (9–2) | 31 – Murray-Boyles | 7 – Murray-Boyles | 7 – Cooper | Colonial Life Arena (14,310) Columbia, SC |
| February 14, 2024 8:30 p.m., SECN | No. 11 | at No. 13 Auburn | L 61–101 | 21–4 (9–3) | 22 – Johnson | 7 – Tied | 2 – Johnson | Neville Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| February 17, 2024 3:30 p.m., SECN | No. 11 | LSU | L 63–64 | 21–5 (9–4) | 18 – Mack | 9 – Mack | 4 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (16,570) Columbia, SC |
| February 24, 2024 3:30 p.m., SECN | No. 20 | at Ole Miss | W 72–59 | 22–5 (10–4) | 17 – Mack | 9 – Davis | 6 – Cooper | SJB Pavilion (8,486) Oxford, MS |
| February 28, 2024 8:30 p.m., SECN | No. 18 | at Texas A&M | W 70–68 | 23–5 (11–4) | 22 – Johnson | 12 – Murray-Boyles | 9 – Cooper | Reed Arena (9,255) College Station, TX |
| March 2, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 18 | No. 24 Florida | W 82–76 | 24–5 (12–4) | 25 – Johnson | 11 – Murray-Boyles | 4 – Cooper | Colonial Life Arena (16,978) Columbia, SC |
| March 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 17 | No. 4 Tennessee | L 59–66 | 24–6 (12–5) | 18 – Johnson | 11 – Murray-Boyles | 3 – Johnson | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| March 9, 2024 2:30 p.m., SECN | No. 17 | at Mississippi State | W 93–89 $^{OT}$ | 25–6 (13–5) | 25 – Mack | 8 – Murray-Boyles | 6 – Murray-Boyles | Humphrey Coliseum (9,289) Starkville, MS |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 3:30 p.m., SECN | (5) No. 15 | vs. (12) Arkansas Second Round | W 80–66 | 26–6 | 24 – Murray-Boyles | 9 – Mack | 4 – Davis | Bridgestone Arena (11,638) Nashville, TN |
| March 15, 2024 3:30 p.m., ESPN | (5) No. 15 | vs. (4) No. 12 Auburn Quarterfinals | L 55–86 | 26–7 | 14 – Mack | 8 – Tied | 4 – Davis | Bridgestone Arena (17,137) Nashville, TN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2024 4:00 p.m., TBS | (6 MW) No. 16 | vs. (11 MW) Oregon First Round | L 73–87 | 26–8 | 24 – Johnson | 8 – Stute | 7 – Cooper | PPG Paints Arena (17,698) Pittsburgh, PA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | 15 | 11 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 25 |
| Coaches | — | — | RV | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | RV | — | — | RV | 20 | 11 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 23 |