Perhaps there was a healthy dose of denial included, but as long as there was football, then basketball seemed safe. Now that the Big Ten has canceled fall sports and the Pac-12 has canceled all sports through the end of the year, that assumption is no longer safe. Even if the SEC forges ahead with football and basketball, South Carolina could be left scrambling to fill out its schedule.
South Carolina hasn’t announced its 2020-21 schedule but we know some of the planned opponents, and many of those games could be in jeopardy. Furthermore, other conferences may be reluctant to schedule the SEC, given that Florida, Georgia, Texas, and South Carolina, have had some of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world. The biggest issue teams face is that although the country could have a much better handle on the coronavirus pandemic in January or February, decisions have to be made soon.
There are a number of guarantee games that have yet to be announced and could be easily rescheduled and opponents switched out. If push came to shove, the Gamecocks could theoretically fill out the schedule with only in-state opponents.
Problems begin with South Carolina’s scheduled appearance in the inaugural women’s Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas. South Carolina’s opponents have not been announced, but the Gamecocks were supposed to be the headliners along with Oregon. Now Oregon, as a Pac-12 school, will no longer be competing. The other teams are Oklahoma, Syracuse, South Florida, Minnesota, Marquette, and Central Michigan. At this late stage it wouldn’t be easy to replace Oregon, yet that might be the easiest problem organizers face. The Bahamas currently requires a 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the country (plus a recommended quarantine upon returning). That makes the Battle 4 Atlantis nearly impossible to hold. Either the quarantine would have to be waived for the teams competing, or the tournament would have to be moved to the continental United States to avoid cancellation.
In May, Dawn Staley said that the Gamecocks and Ducks had agreed in principle to open the season at Oregon, though she cautioned that nothing had been signed. Nothing official was ever announced, suggesting the contract was never signed. If it was, there could be implications going forward, but the bottom line is that the season-opening game is off. South Carolina is not known to have any other scheduled games against Pac-12 teams.
South Carolina also has a scheduled home game against Big Ten foe Maryland, the last game of consecutive home-and-home matchups. The Big Ten has been notoriously independent and unpredictable, and although no decision has been made about winter sports, the basketball season could be at risk.The road team won the previous three games South Carolina’s win in the opening week of last season announced that the Gamecocks were a force to be reckoned with.
South Carolina is scheduled to visit UConn next season for the annual matchup. The date could be more at risk than the game itself. Since the current series began, the game has been played in February during conference play. It wouldn’t be surprising if the SEC or Big East, or both, decides it doesn’t want teams going out of conference once league play starts. If that is the case, the game could still be moved to earlier in the season.
South Carolina is scheduled to make a return trip to South Dakota, completing a home-and-home that began last season in Columbia. The Summit League, which does not sponsor football, announced Monday that it was postponing fall sports until Spring 2021. The league’s announcement stressed that winter sports were not affected by the decision.
South Carolina also wrapped up the series with a couple of power five opponents last season. Last season South Carolina wrapped up a home-and-home against Purdue, another Big Ten opponent. Neither side has indicated if the series would continue. South Carolina has been scheduled to play Duke every season since 2014 (the 2018 game was canceled due to winter weather). It is unclear if the series will continue under new Duke head coach Kara Lawson, but given the close proximity between the universities and the conferences, it may have become more attractive. South Carolina will also host Clemson, another ACC team, in a game that is usually played in December.
The SEC currently has a scheduling agreement with the Big 12 which has South Carolina playing at Iowa State on December 6. If conferences are concerned about controlling athletes’ exposure, and/or the ability to reschedule games, it would make good sense to expand the conference schedule, or pair off and add more interconference games. The Big 12, due to the previous agreement, or the ACC, due to geography, would make obvious partners for the SEC. Of course, as we have seen repeatedly, good sense seldom has a place in college athletics.
