SEC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season
By Matt Melton
Set to begin in the coming weeks, here are our preseason power rankings for the 2023-24 SEC basketball season.
Preseason SEC basketball power rankings for 2023-24 season
14. South Carolina Gamecocks
We begin our 2023-24 SEC basketball preseason power rankings at No. 14 with South Carolina, as the Gamecocks enter year No. 2 of the Lamont Paris era in Columbia.
The Gamecocks are coming off what was their first losing season since the 2020-21 campaign, as South Carolina finished last season at 11-21 overall. South Carolina also finished the season at 4-14 in SEC play, which was their lowest in-conference win total since that 2020-21 campaign.
A team that averaged one of the nation’s lowest point totals at 64.3 PPG last season, while also allowing 72.6 PPG, South Carolina is tasked with replacing their leading scorer in G.G. Jackson, who averaged 15.4 PPG and 5.9 RPG a year ago as a freshman. The Gamecocks also have to replace another double-digit scorer in Hayden Brown, as well as a key guard in Chico Carter who nearly averaged double-digits last season at 9.8 PPG.
Returning for South Carolina are a few noteworthy names such as Meechie Johnson, Jacobi Wright, and Josh Gray, while others are also back such as Zachary Davis and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk. The Gamecocks also added multiple newcomers who are likely to make an impact this season, a group headlined by the duo of Wofford transfer B.J. Mack and Vanderbilt transfer Myles Stute.
South Carolina will officially open the 2023-24 season at home November 6 against USC Upstate.