The early-season picture is becoming clearer for No. 3 South Carolina, and the numbers back up just how strong Dawn Staley’s team has looked through the opening month of the 2025-26 campaign.
Sitting at 7-1, the Gamecocks’ lone blemish remains a heartbreaking last-second loss to Texas, while every other opponent — including Clemson, Duke, and Southern Cal — has fallen. And now, the first NET rankings of the year give us another snapshot of where USC stands.
South Carolina debuted at No. 6 nationally, third among SEC programs. Only LSU (1), UConn (2), Texas (3), UCLA (4) and Michigan (5) sit ahead.
For context, the NET is the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s most important metric, pulling from a team’s performance, strength of schedule, game location and adjusted efficiency.
At this stage, South Carolina owns a 1-1 record vs. Quad 1 teams — beating Southern Cal on a neutral court in Los Angeles and falling to Texas in Las Vegas. The Gamecocks are 2-0 vs. Quad 2 (with wins over Duke and Clemson), 0-0 vs. Quad 3, and 4-0 vs. Quad 4, all at Colonial Life Arena.
As always, Dawn Staley built a heavyweight schedule, meaning USC will have plenty of chances to climb even higher. Over the next four outings, the Gamecocks will face two Quad 1 opponents and another from Quad 2.
The stretch begins Thursday, Dec. 4, when South Carolina travels to Louisville for the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Gamecocks have won their last two Challenge matchups — beating North Carolina and Duke — and now meet a Louisville team ranked No. 14 in the NET. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Three days later, USC returns home on Sunday, Dec. 7, to host North Carolina Central, ranked 315th in the NET. That game tips at noon on SEC Network.
With more high-value matchups ahead, South Carolina’s NET climb is far from finished — and the Gamecocks look poised to keep rising.
