South Carolina’s ACC Opponents Weigh In at Tipoff

At the 2026 ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, coaches from the four ACC teams on South Carolina’s schedule spoke about tough non-conference slates, and all four will face the Gamecocks this season: North Carolina, Clemson, Duke and Notre Dame.

North Carolina: Scheduling to measure up

The Tar Heels open against Oklahoma in Paris, the second game of a doubleheader that begins with South Carolina vs. Maryland. After returning to the U.S., the Gamecocks and Tar Heels meet in the Ally Tipoff at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

Coming off back-to-back Sweet Sixteen seasons, coach Courtney Banghart said her schedule is designed to push the team deeper in March. In her view, a schedule shows how a coach feels about the team, and she wants early games against programs on the same climb for a true comparison rather than guesswork.

She also stressed that early losses are acceptable if they lead to improvement. Banghart said teams shouldn’t worry about opponents who pad their records and enter conference play at 13-1, because she believes voters now reward the eye test. Her players need to find weaknesses in rebounding, one-on-one defense and attacking closeouts against the best teams, and she would rather fix them now than in the offseason.

Clemson: The November 2 test

South Carolina’s second straight ACC opponent is rival Clemson, and the game is at Clemson this year. Coach Shawn Poppie has it circled as an early test, and said he scheduled more home games this season to build confidence before facing the Gamecocks. South Carolina visits Littlejohn Coliseum on November 2, and the series returns to Columbia in alternating years.

Poppie said his team can’t look past that date to November 12 or Kentucky in early December. The focus has to be on being the best version of Clemson on November 2.

Last year, the Tigers made South Carolina sweat out an early win, then nearly got a rematch in the NCAA Tournament. A game-winning buzzer-beater was waved off, and Clemson lost to USC in overtime.

Poppie believes expectations should be higher than a first-round exit after back-to-back strong recruiting classes. He said last year’s group probably hit its ceiling, but this team has no limit. As he put it, “This group is as good as they want to be.” The biggest change is size: Clemson was undersized his first two years, and he says the Tigers now have length comparable to everyone else while keeping their skill.

Duke: A recurring matchup

About three weeks after the Clemson game, South Carolina visits Duke in the ACC/SEC Challenge. It will be the 13th meeting between the programs and the 10th in the last 13 seasons, including four in a row.

Coach Kara Lawson said she has always wanted a top-tier schedule, because tough games expose weaknesses and force improvement. She said wins and losses can matter less than learning where to grow.

Duke has reached the Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons, including a 2025 loss to South Carolina, and is a popular pick to make its first Final Four since 2006. Senior Delaney Thomas said experience is key, and veterans are helping younger players absorb the team’s culture and chemistry.

Notre Dame: A new Players Era opponent

South Carolina beat Duke in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas last season. Both teams are in the event again, but with different opponents. The Gamecocks’ new opponent is Notre Dame, which makes its first appearance in the Players Era.

Coach Niele Ivey said she likes to challenge her group early, calling the ACC one of the best conferences in women’s basketball. She pointed to opportunities including the Players Era and the Eternal Tip-Off in Rome, and said road games in the ACC/SEC Challenge prepare her team for conference play and the NCAA Tournament.

Key takeaways

• All four coaches embrace tough non-conference schedules, even at the risk of early losses.
• South Carolina is a benchmark opponent for each of them, and every coach framed the matchup as a measuring stick.
• Clemson and Duke have the most to prove. Clemson wants to move past last year’s near miss, and Duke is chasing a Final Four.

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