USC hosts Chattanooga to open 2022-23 season

Gamecocks begin 86th year of basketball at home for second straight year

USC Athletics

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina men's basketball team will open the 2022-23 season at home on Monday, Nov. 7, against Chattanooga at Colonial Life Arena. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on SEC Network.

The Gamecocks are coming off a 18-13 season in which they finished tied for seventh in the SEC with a 9-9 record. USC advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament before falling to eventual champion Auburn.

Chattanooga went 27-8 last season and won the Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships. The Mocs advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the first round to Illinois.

The Gamecocks and Mocs have met twice before, with Chattanooga winning both meetings. The last meeting came in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, when Chattanooga won 70-60 in the first round.

USC is led by senior guard Meechie Johnson, who averaged 12.3 points and 4.2 assists per game last season. Other key returners include junior forward Erik Stevenson (11.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and senior center Josh Gray (9.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg).

Chattanooga is led by senior guard Malachi Smith, who averaged 19.9 points and 5.1 assists per game last season. Other key returners include junior forward A.J. Caldwell (14.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and senior guard David Jean-Baptiste (11.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

The Gamecocks will be looking to start the season strong at home. They have won their last four home openers and are 13-2 in home openers under head coach Frank Martin.