Dawn Staley’s Next Big Test: Inside South Carolina’s Shaping 2025-26 Schedule
It’s never too early to peek ahead — and for South Carolina women’s basketball, the 2025-26 season already has fans buzzing. While much of the schedule is still being built, here’s what we know — and what’s possibly on the horizon.
Circle the Calendar: The Season Tips Off November 3
Quick clarification:
- “This season” = 2024-25
- “Next season” = 2025-26
- “Last season” = 2023-24
Dawn Staley faces a tall task with the nonconference slate — as many as eight of the 14 matchups still need to be finalized. After the Gamecocks landed just the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament last year, Staley hinted at rethinking her approach, though don’t expect a total overhaul.
“She likes a tough schedule,” the article notes. Staley’s philosophy? Test the team early with different styles and levels of competition so they’re fully prepared for the NCAA Tournament.
Confirmed Nonconference Matchups
- Clemson (in Columbia): The Palmetto rivalry continues as always — barring another global pandemic.
- Southern Cal, November 15 in Los Angeles: First of a two-game series, with the return game in Greenville in 2026.
- Three-game series in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving: South Carolina joins Duke, UCLA, and Texas in the Players Era Championship. The event doubles as a huge NIL opportunity, offering at least $1 million in deals.
- Texas Game Note: This is expected to be a nonconference game — though with college scheduling, never say never.
- USF will likely visit Columbia next season to fulfill a return game commitment.
- A road game in the SEC-ACC Challenge, likely against either North Carolina or NC State, now that Duke is already on the schedule.
Watch for These Potential Additions
- A neutral-site rematch in Charlotte is very possible after the success of the Ally Tip-Off vs. NC State.
- Hall of Fame Series could return — South Carolina’s played in it two straight seasons (vs. Utah in Connecticut, then Michigan in Las Vegas).
- Bowling Green likely owes a home game after South Carolina’s 2023 visit to former assistant Fred Chmiel.
- A game in Phoenix’s Footprint Center, home of next season’s Final Four, seems likely. Former Gamecocks assistant Winston Gandy is now head coach at Grand Canyon — it feels like fate.
UConn Rivalry in Limbo
The once-annual clash with UConn? It might be over — at least for now. The home-and-home deal expired, and this past season’s game was simply a makeup for the COVID-postponed 2022 showdown.
Both Staley and Geno Auriemma love the national spotlight the game brings, but rumors suggest they’re growing tired of squeezing it into conference play. With UConn already facing Tennessee next season, a second SEC clash might not be in the cards.
And for South Carolina, now part of a crowded SEC with Texas and Oklahoma joining, giving up an open date for a non-league giant like UConn is a lot to ask.
“What if Staley and Vic Schaefer agree to count their Vegas matchup as a conference game?” one section teases. While unlikely, it would free up a date during SEC play — but don’t hold your breath for SEC approval.
What Else to Expect?
- Expect a couple guarantee games: typically against an in-state program, an HBCU contender, and a team with a unique playing style.
- Staley often adds a strong mid-major — the kind of team projected as an 8 or 9 seed in the tournament — to sharpen the Gamecocks’ edge.
SEC Schedule Snapshot
- 16 total SEC games — coaches aren’t ready to expand to 18 like the men’s side.
- 14 teams once, 1 team twice — unknown who that will be, but not Texas.
- Road trips: Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Florida, Arkansas
- Home games: Vanderbilt, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Missouri, Alabama
The SEC Tournament returns to Greenville, SC, March 4–8.
NCAA Tournament begins March 20.
Final Four: April 3 and 5 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
