Start time: 7 p.m.
TV: SEC Network+
The Gamecocks got off to a slow start against USC Upstate, but used a 20-0 run to bury the Spartans on their way to a relatively easy 65-52 victory in the season opener. Freshman forward Keyshawn Bryant was the star in this one, putting up a 21-point, seven-rebound debut performance, and stalwart big man Chris Silva collected his 16th career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Hassani Gravett also had a career-high 12 boards.
This game is the first of a pair of unbracketed contests in Columbia that are part of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, an eight-team event that will shift to Uncasville, Conn.