Hoops: Martin, Gamecocks release non-conference schedule
South Carolina head men’s basketball coach Frank Martin announced on Tuesday his team’s non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2016-17 campaign, Martin’s fifth season in Columbia. The slate features 14 games, with 10 home contests, including one exhibition. Highlighting the non-conference portion of the schedule is the Gamecocks’ participation in the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational, as well as a matchup versus Seton Hall in the Under Armour “Reunion” doubleheader at Madison Square Garden in mid-December. The Gamecocks will face eight teams that advanced to the postseason a year ago, with four of those NCAA Tournament participants, including Syracuse, which advanced to the Final Four.
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“Putting together a great non-conference schedule is a big part of our jobs every year,” Martin said. “Once again we have challenged our guys by playing difficult away games and continuing to excite our fans with some great home matchups. We’re fortunate that we continue to play Clemson on a year-in, year-out basis, so this year Clemson comes to us. We are also excited about bringing the University of Michigan into our building along with some other teams that were all in the postseason this past year in La Tech, Holy Cross, Monmouth, SC State and Vermont and Lander. Coupled with that, we’ve got games at Memphis and South Florida and we have Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden and Syracuse at the Barclays Center - great opportunities to take our team into other programs’ home courts along with exposing us to the national media of New York City in playing in two of the great basketball venues in our country.”
South Carolina opens its 109th season of varsity basketball hosting Newberry in an exhibition contest set for Nov. 6. The Wolves posted an 18-12 overall record last season, and return South Atlantic All-Freshman Team member D.J. Copeland to the hardwood this fall. Regular-season action begins when Louisiana Tech visits Columbia on Nov. 11. The Bulldogs posted a 23-10 overall record last season and advanced to their fourth-straight postseason with a bid in the Inaugural Vegas 16.
Three straight home matchups that are part of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational dot the schedule next, as Holy Cross (Nov. 13), Monmouth (Nov. 15) and South Carolina State (Nov. 18) will all visit Colonial Life Arena in mid-November. The reigning Patriot League Champions, Holy Cross returns four starters from last season’s NCAA Tournament squad, while Monmouth returns 15 members of its NIT team from a season ago. The Hawks are led by longtime Vanderbilt assistant, King Rice, who earned Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year accolades last season. SC State visits Columbia under the direction of 2015-16 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Murray Garvin. The Bulldogs posted a 19-14 overall record last season and advanced to the postseason with a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Michigan travels to Columbia on Nov. 23, marking just the fifth meeting all-time between the Wolverines and Gamecocks and the first since the 2005-06 campaign when Carolina posted a 76-64 victory over UM at Madison Square Garden to clinch its second-straight Postseason NIT title. The Wolverines posted a 23-13 overall record last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament First Round. Next up on the schedule is Final Four participant Syracuse in the final matchup of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 26. The Orange return two starters from last season’s 23-14 squad, and return 12 letterwinners overall.
Vermont, a College Basketball Invitational participant last season, travels to Columbia on Dec. 1, before the Gamecocks host FIU on Dec. 4. Carolina travels back to the Big Apple to face Seton Hall in the “Reunion” on Dec. 12 at Madison Square Garden. It’s Carolina’s first contest in the venue since the above mentioned NIT victory over Michigan. The Pirates posted a 25-9 overall record last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
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Carolina travels to USF on Dec 17, before hosting intrastate rival Clemson at Colonial Life Arena on Dec. 21. The Tigers are led by senior forward Jaron Blossomgame, a First-Team All-ACC honoree last season. Carolina will host Lander (Dec. 27), an NCAA Tournament team (D-II) from last season and the reigning Peach Belt Conference champs, before concluding the non-conference portion of its schedule with a road matchup at Memphis on Dec. 30. The Tigers are led by former Gamecock assistant and longtime Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith in his first season. Memphis posted a 19-15 overall record and advanced to the American Athletic Conference title game last spring.
Season ticket prices for the upcoming season remain unchanged, with full season packages starting at $90. Like last season, fans can purchase lower level season tickets for $260 (Gamecock Club membership required for sections 104-106, 113-115), the Coke Family Sections are available for $600 (four tickets) and upper level tickets are available for $200 (no Gamecock Club membership required). End zone seating in the upper level is priced at four seats for $360. University Faculty/Staff members receive a 20% discount on lower level and upper level ticket prices.
