Neighbors, Mentors and Rivals: Why the South Carolina–Benedict Exhibition Matters to Columbia

The South Carolina Gamecocks and Benedict College occupy different levels of the college basketball landscape, but their October 23 meeting offers something that few preseason games can provide: a chance for two Columbia programs to share the same stage.

For Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks, the exhibition at Colonial Life Arena will provide another opportunity to prepare for a demanding 2026–27 season. For Benedict, the contest offers a chance to compete against one of the most successful programs in women’s college basketball while representing a historic HBCU in its own city.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, October 23, at Colonial Life Arena. Benedict’s official schedule confirms the exhibition, which will be played in Columbia.

Yet the significance of this matchup deserves attention beyond the eventual score. The game brings together two programs with different resources, competitive environments and institutional identities, while giving Columbia’s basketball community a shared event before the regular season begins.

A Columbia basketball story that deserves more attention

Colonial Life Arena sits at 801 Lincoln Street, while Benedict College is also based in Columbia. Their proximity gives this matchup a local character that is difficult to reproduce when South Carolina faces an opponent from another state.

South Carolina attracts national attention because of its success in the SEC and NCAA tournaments. Benedict operates within Division II and competes in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), a conference with its own traditions and championship history.

Those differences are significant, but they do not diminish the value of bringing the programs together.

For Columbia residents, the game creates an opportunity to recognize the breadth of basketball talent and coaching experience within their own city. Gamecock supporters can watch a team preparing for national competition, while Benedict alumni and supporters can see the Lady Tigers test themselves against an elite opponent.

Local basketball gains something from that shared attention. A game that might otherwise be viewed as a routine preseason fixture becomes an opportunity to recognize the city’s wider college basketball community.

Benedict is bringing a program with its own championship history

The Lady Tigers should not be defined solely by the opportunity to face South Carolina. Their program has established a substantial record of achievement under head coach James Rice.

Rice became Benedict’s head coach in 2012 and has guided the program to five SIAC Tournament championships, six division titles and multiple NCAA Division II tournament appearances. His teams have also recorded seven 20-win seasons, according to Benedict Athletics.

The 2019–20 campaign stands out. Benedict finished with a 27–3 record, went undefeated in SIAC regular-season play and earned a place among the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s top 10 Division II teams. The team also led Division II in total rebounds and rebounds per game that season.

Those accomplishments provide useful context for the October exhibition.

Benedict has a history of competitive success, and Rice has built a program with a recognizable identity. His teams have been associated with physical defense, pressure and strong rebounding. These qualities could make the exhibition a useful test of South Carolina’s execution, particularly when the Gamecocks face sustained defensive pressure.

For Rice’s players, the contest presents a chance to measure their preparation against a nationally prominent opponent. For the coaching staff, it offers a different competitive challenge before SIAC play begins.

The final score will matter less to Benedict’s regular-season ambitions than the lessons the team can take from the experience.

Dawn Staley and James Rice represent two different paths to success

Staley has established South Carolina as a leading force in women’s college basketball through recruiting, player development and sustained postseason success. Rice has built Benedict into a respected Division II program with a strong record in its conference.

Their responsibilities differ in scale, but both coaches must prepare players to execute under pressure.

For South Carolina, the exhibition is an opportunity to examine player combinations, offensive spacing and defensive communication before the regular season. For Benedict, the challenge is to maintain its identity against an opponent with considerable athletic depth.

There is also a broader lesson in the meeting of these programs. College basketball development takes place across multiple divisions, and coaches at different levels face many of the same questions about discipline, team chemistry and individual improvement.

However, the matchup alone does not establish a formal mentoring relationship between Staley and Rice. Its value can be assessed through the competitive opportunity it creates without assuming private arrangements or shared coaching initiatives that have not been publicly documented.

The opportunity for Benedict’s players is real

Playing against South Carolina can provide Benedict’s roster with a valuable point of comparison.

The Gamecocks recruit at the highest level of Division I basketball. Their practices and games demand a high standard of physical preparation, decision-making and execution. An exhibition against that level of opposition gives Benedict players a chance to experience those demands directly.

The experience can also help the Lady Tigers identify areas that require attention before the regular season.

How well do they handle pressure against a more athletic opponent? Can they protect the ball when defensive pressure increases? Will their rebounding principles hold up against South Carolina’s size and strength?

These questions make the game useful even if the scoreboard becomes one-sided.

For South Carolina’s players, the contest carries its own responsibilities. Established starters must refine their execution, while younger players and newcomers have an opportunity to demonstrate that they understand the team’s defensive assignments and offensive system.

Every exhibition has limits as a measure of regular-season performance. Still, the quality of the opponent can reveal weaknesses that may be less apparent during practice.

Columbia’s HBCU community is part of the story

Benedict College has a distinct place in Columbia’s educational and cultural history. Founded in 1870, the institution has served generations of students and remains an important part of the city’s HBCU community.

Its women’s basketball program provides another way for the college to represent itself beyond the classroom.

When Benedict plays South Carolina, the Lady Tigers receive exposure in a setting that attracts Gamecock supporters and follows the rhythms of a major Division I program. That visibility has potential value for Benedict’s players, alumni and prospective recruits.

The wider community also benefits from having multiple college basketball programs worth following. South Carolina’s national profile can draw attention to the city, while Benedict offers another source of local athletic identity.

The extent of the game’s financial benefit to Benedict, including ticket revenue or other arrangements, has not been established in the available public information. Nevertheless, the opportunity to compete at Colonial Life Arena provides a visible platform for the program.

That distinction matters. The exhibition’s community value is clear, even without unsupported claims about its financial arrangements.

A familiar matchup with a history of its own

South Carolina and Benedict have met in previous exhibitions, so the October 23 contest is not an entirely new pairing.

The teams faced each other during the 2021–22 and 2022–23 preseason periods. South Carolina won 98–41 in the first meeting and 123–32 in the second, according to published reports on the matchup.

Those results illustrate the competitive gap between the programs at the time. They also establish some history between the schools, even though exhibition results do not count toward regular-season records.

The 2026 meeting gives both teams another opportunity to evaluate their progress.

South Carolina enters the season with substantial expectations. Benedict has its own objectives as it prepares for conference competition. Each team can use the contest to examine its strengths and identify areas for improvement.

The game also reconnects two programs that represent different parts of Columbia’s basketball landscape.

The larger meaning of the October 23 game

The South Carolina–Benedict exhibition will ultimately be judged on the court, but its local significance deserves recognition.

For Staley, it is another step in preparing the Gamecocks for a season with demanding national and conference competition. For Rice, it is an opportunity to test his players against a program with considerable depth and experience.

For Columbia, the meeting offers something more familiar and more personal: two college basketball programs from the same city competing on one court.

That is a worthwhile story in its own right. Benedict brings its championship history and HBCU identity. South Carolina brings its national standing and the expectations attached to Staley’s program. Both contribute to the city’s basketball culture, even though their competitive circumstances differ.

On Friday, October 23, the teams will meet at Colonial Life Arena at 7 p.m. ET. The final margin will tell only part of the story. The matchup also offers a reminder that Columbia’s women’s basketball community includes more than one program, and that local competition can create value for both sides.

What interests you most about this matchup: South Carolina’s final preparations for the season, or the opportunity for Benedict College to compete against one of the nation’s leading women’s basketball programs?