COLUMBIA — South Carolina men’s basketball was voted to finish 11th in the SEC preseason media poll.
Sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles was named to the All-SEC third team.
The Gamecocks finished their 2023-24 season with a loss to Oregon in the first round of the NCAA tournament but had a program record-tying 26 wins. They tied for second in the SEC after being voted in the preseason conference poll to finish last, and ended the season No. 23 in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.
South Carolina lost leading scorer Meechie Johnson, who transferred to Ohio State but gained notable talent in the transfer portal. Coach Lamont Paris picked up Nick Pringle from Alabama, Jamarii Thomas from Norfolk State and Jordan Butler from Missouri. Cam Scott, the No. 1 recruit in South Carolina, switched his commitment from Texas and will be playing for the Gamecocks this season.
The season opener for South Carolina is Nov. 4 against North Florida. The Gamecocks have an exhibition game against College of Wooster on Oct. 30 (7 p.m. ET, Colonial Life Arena), where Paris played college basketball. On March 15, Paris received a contract extension through the 2029-30 season. The six-year deal will pay him $26.25 million over the life of the contract, or an average of $4.375 million per year.
STILL THE ONE: South Carolina women’s basketball, Dawn Staley voted No. 1 in SEC preseason poll
Preseason SEC order of finish
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Alabama
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Auburn
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Tennessee
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Arkansas
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Texas A&M
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Florida
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Texas
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Kentucky
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Ole Miss
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Mississippi State
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South Carolina
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Georgia
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Missouri
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LSU
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Oklahoma
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Vanderbilt
Preseason SEC Player of the Year
Mark Sears, Alabama
Preseason First Team All-SEC
Mark Sears, Alabama
Johni Broome, Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M
Second Team All-SEC
Grant Nelson, Alabama
Jonas Aidoo, Arkansas
Johnell Davis, Arkansas
Matthew Murrell, Ole Miss
Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
Third Team All-SEC
Chad Baker-Mazara, Auburn
Alex Condon, Florida
Jaxson Robinson, Kentucky
Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
Tramon Mark, Texas
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina basketball voted to finish No. 11 in SEC preseason poll
