# 1988–89 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team

The 1988–89 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina as a member of the Metro Conference during the 1988–89 men's college basketball season. The team was led by head coach George Felton and played their home games at Carolina Coliseum in Columbia, South Carolina. The team received an at-large bid to the 1989 NCAA tournament as No. 12 seed in the East region – the team's first appearance in the tournament in 15 years. The Gamecocks lost to NC State in the first round to finish the season with a record of 19–11 (8–4 Metro).

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular Season ||||||
| Nov 26, 1988* | | Lander | W 96–54 | 1–0 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Dec 3, 1988* | | Clemson | W 90–70 | 2–0 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Dec 5, 1988* | | Maryland | W 57–51 | 3–0 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Dec 7, 1988* | | East Carolina | W 75–67 | 4–0 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Dec 17, 1988* | | at No. 16 Tennessee | W 83–81 $^{OT}$ | 5–0 | Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Dec 20, 1988* | No. 18 | No. 12 Ohio State | W 74–63 | 6–0 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Dec 29, 1988* | No. 16 | vs. La Salle Cotton States Classic | L 67–85 | 6–1 | Omni Coliseum Atlanta, Georgia |
| Dec 30, 1988* | No. 16 | vs. Princeton Cotton States Classic | L 58–69 | 6–2 | Omni Coliseum Atlanta, Georgia |
| Jan 2, 1989* | | Augusta College | W 103–68 | 7–2 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Jan 7, 1989* | | at Davidson | W 81–67 | 8–2 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Jan 11, 1989 | | at No. 9 Louisville | L 52–75 | 8–3 (0–1) | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| Jan 14, 1989 | | Cincinnati | W 73–69 | 9–3 (1–1) | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Jan 18, 1989 | | Memphis | W 78–66 | 10–3 (2–1) | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Jan 21, 1989* | | Youngstown State | W 92–78 | 11–3 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Jan 23, 1989* | | Coastal Carolina | W 92–65 | 12–3 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Jan 26, 1989 | | No. 11 Florida State | L 67–69 | 12–4 (2–2) | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Jan 28, 1989* | | at Oral Roberts | L 86–87 | 12–5 | Mabee Center Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Feb 4, 1989* | | at Clemson | L 65–78 | 12–6 | Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, South Carolina |
| Feb 6, 1989 | | Southern Miss | W 105–63 | 13–6 (3–2) | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Feb 8, 1989 | | at No. 12 Florida State | L 72–88 | 13–7 (3–3) | Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, Florida |
| Feb 11, 1989 | | at Memphis State | L 48–63 | 13–8 (3–4) | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Feb 15, 1989 | | Virginia Tech | W 81–70 | 14–8 (4–4) | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Feb 18, 1989 | | at Southern Miss | W 68–61 | 15–8 (5–4) | Reed Green Coliseum Hattiesburg, Mississippi |
| Feb 22, 1989* | | The Citadel | L 87–88 | 15–9 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Feb 25, 1989 | | No. 8 Louisville | W 77–73 | 16–9 (6–4) | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Feb 27, 1989 | | at Virginia Tech | W 86–79 | 17–9 (7–4) | Cassell Coliseum Blacksburg, Virginia |
| Mar 4, 1989 | | at Cincinnati | W 69–68 | 18–9 (8–4) | Cincinnati Gardens Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Metro Conference Tournament ||||||
| Mar 9, 1989* | | Southern Miss Metro Conference Tournament Quarterfinal | W 63–62 | 19–9 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Mar 10, 1989* | | No. 14 Florida State Metro Conference Tournament Semifinal | L 63–80 | 19–10 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 17, 1989* | (12 E) | vs. (5 E) No. 19 NC State First Round | L 66–81 | 19–11 | Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||