GREENSBORO, N.C. — South Carolina men’s basketball is set to take on NC State this Sunday in The Bad Boy Mowers Series – Greensboro exhibition matchup at First Horizon Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (ET) following the women’s contest between NC State and Maryland at 2 p.m.
While the game will not be televised, fans can tune in to 107.5 The Game or any of South Carolina’s in-state radio affiliates to catch Derek Scott (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (analyst) on the call for the Gamecock Sports Network.
This exhibition will give fans their first look at a new-look Gamecock roster, featuring 12 players who weren’t on last season’s team. Among them are six transfers, and headlining the returning players is All-SEC guard Meechie Johnson, who’s back in Garnet and Black after two seasons at South Carolina (2022–24).
Johnson, a Cleveland native, made 63 appearances (62 starts) during his previous stint with the Gamecocks, averaging 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. In 2023–24, he posted his best collegiate season yet, leading the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game as South Carolina went 26-8, tying the program’s record for most wins and returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
Head coach Lamont Paris, entering his fourth season, was named 2024 SEC Coach of the Year for engineering that remarkable 15-win turnaround.
Graduate guard Myles Stute also returns for the Gamecocks after being granted an additional year of eligibility. Despite missing most of the SEC schedule last season due to injury, Stute brings extensive conference experience — having appeared in 65 SEC games and logged 1,800 minutes. Known for his perimeter shooting, Stute has made 236 career 3-pointers at a 37.5% clip (236-of-629) across four and a half collegiate seasons.
The Gamecocks also boast an impressive freshman class, led by Eli Ellis, a two-time Overtime Elite MVP for YNG Dreamerz. Ellis, a Hickory, N.C. native, averaged 32.1 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game last season, helping his team capture the OTE Championship. He’ll reunite in Columbia with former OTE teammates Hayden Assemian and Abu Yarmah.
On the other side, NC State enters the matchup under new head coach Will Wade, who has transformed the Wolfpack roster with nine transfers, including Preseason ACC Player of the Year Darrion Williams. The Texas Tech transfer averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game last season, helping the Red Raiders reach the Elite Eight.
Wade, formerly at LSU (2017–22) and most recently at McNeese State (2023–25), brings a winning pedigree, having guided the Cowboys to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances before taking over in Raleigh.
Sunday’s exhibition in Greensboro will mark an early test for both programs as they prepare to launch into the 2025–26 season with rebuilt rosters and big expectations.
