Gamecock Schedule Features 19 National TV Games
Sept. 20, 2016
COLUMBIA, S .C. ââ’¬” South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley announced today her team’s 2016-17 schedule, which features 19 games against teams that participated in the 2016 postseason. The Gamecocks will feature prominently on television this season with 19 games national televised, including 11 on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.
The Gamecocks host 14 games at Colonial Life Arena, highlighted by six against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams and a total of eight against teams that won at least 20 games last season. In SEC action, all three of South Carolina’s home-and-home opponents this season ââ’¬” Auburn, Georgia and Kentucky ââ’¬” played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Following an exhibition against Benedict (Nov. 7), the Gamecocks officially open the 2016-17 season on the road at Ohio State, a fellow NCAA Sweet 16 participant, on Nov. 14. South Carolina returns home to kick off the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge with three doubleheaders slated for Nov. 20, 21 and 22 as Hampton, Maine and Saint Peter’s visit Colonial Life Arena. The event concludes in Springfield, Mass., where South Carolina will face Louisville, which finished among the nation’s top 15 last season, on Nov. 27 on ESPN2.
The network will also air South Carolina’s next contest, a visit to Texas on Dec. 1 as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Another road trip takes the Gamecocks to Duke (Dec. 4) before they open a three-game home stand that features a pair of postseason participants and their archrival. The stretch opens against Minnesota (Dec. 11) and continues against Clemson (Dec. 15) with both games to air on SEC Network. NCAA Sweet 16 entry UCLA visits for a Dec. 18 matchup slated for ESPN2. South Carolina closes out the calendar year with a Dec. 21 trip to Savannah State.
The Gamecocks ring in the New Year with the first of their seven league games on the ESPN family of networks, hosting Alabama on New Year’s Day at 2 p.m. on ESPN2. A trip to Auburn, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament second round last season, follows on Jan. 5 before South Carolina heads to Florida on Jan. 8 for a nationally televised game on ESPNU at noon as the Gators look to build on their NCAA Tournament appearance and final top-25 ranking last season.
The first game of the home-and-home series with border rival Georgia is set for Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 12 on SEC Network. The Lady Bulldogs notched a 21-win season in 2015-16 and reached the NCAA Tournament. A road trip to LSU on Jan. 15 breaks up the season’s longest stretch of home games. The Gamecocks will host Ole Miss on Jan. 19 on SEC Network and Mississippi State, an NCAA Sweet 16 participant last season, on Jan. 23 in a game to air on ESPN2.
Three of the next four games are on the road for the Gamecocks, beginning at Georgia on Jan. 26 (SEC Network). The Gamecocks will have an extra day to get ready for 2016 NCAA Elite 8 finisher Tennessee in a Jan. 30, showdown on ESPN2, then kickoff February with a pair of road games ââ’¬” at Kentucky on Feb. 2 on SEC Network and at Arkansas on Feb. 5 on ESPN2.
After hosting Auburn on Feb. 9, South Carolina will step out of SEC action to travel to Connecticut for its annual Monday night showdown (Feb. 13, ESPN2) before returning home to take on Vanderbilt on Feb. 16 on SEC Network. Back-to-back road games ââ’¬” at Missouri on Feb. 19 on ESPN2 and at Texas A&M on Feb. 23 on SEC Network ââ’¬” set up the regular-season finale against rival Kentucky on Feb. 26. The game will air on either ESPNU or ESPN2.
Every game of the SEC Tournament at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., will be nationally televised. SEC Network will broadcast every game of the first three rounds to be played March 1-3. ESPNU picks up the coverage for the semifinals, and ESPN2 will carry the final on Mar. 5.
Season tickets for 2016-17 are on sale now via the website, www.GamecocksOnline.com/tickets, or by calling the South Carolina Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-4SC-FANS. This season, fans can choose from four location/price ranges, including all lower level seating now reserved. Fans can purchase Reserved seats in sections 104-106 and 113-115 for $60 each (Gamecock Club membership required for sections 104-106 and 114). Corner Reserved seats are located in sections 102-103, 107-108 and 116-117 and are available for $40 each. New Baseline Reserved seating in sections 101, 109 and 118 is available for $35. General Admission season tickets, all located in the upper level this season, are priced at $30.
