South Carolina Women’s Basketball vs. USC: Tip-Off Time and TV Network Set

The stage is set for one of the most intriguing early-season games in women’s college basketball, as the South Carolina Gamecocks and USC Trojans prepare to renew their growing rivalry on Nov. 15, 2026.

South Carolina announced that its nonconference matchup with USC will tip off at 1 p.m. ET and air nationally on ABC. The game will be played at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, giving fans in the Palmetto State a chance to watch two nationally prominent programs collide in the early weeks of the season. USC’s official schedule confirms the Nov. 15 meeting in Greenville as part of its “The Real SC” matchup.

For South Carolina fans, the announcement adds another important piece to a schedule that already features several marquee nonconference games.

The “Real SC” rivalry returns

There is no shortage of history behind this matchup.

Both programs carry the initials USC, creating an unusual bit of branding confusion that has turned their meetings into the tongue-in-cheek “The Real SC” showdown. The rivalry has become increasingly familiar after the teams met twice during the previous season.

South Carolina won both meetings, including a 69-52 regular-season victory and a 101-61 NCAA Tournament win in the second round.

That postseason meeting provided a particularly emphatic finish to the series, with the Gamecocks pulling away in the tournament while USC’s season came to an end.

Now, the calendar has brought the two programs together again.

This time, the backdrop will be Greenville, where the crowd should have plenty of energy when garnet and cardinal take the floor.

JuJu Watkins returns to lead USC

USC enters the matchup with significant star power.

JuJu Watkins is listed as a senior on the Trojans’ 2026-27 roster after redshirting the 2025-26 season because of injury. Her return gives USC one of the most recognizable players in women’s college basketball.

Before missing the 2025-26 campaign, Watkins produced a spectacular 2024-25 season, averaging 23.9 points and 3.4 assists per game while earning the Naismith Trophy and multiple national player-of-the-year honors. USC’s official biography also notes that she scored 1,709 points through her first two seasons and established herself among the program’s all-time scoring leaders.

Her return is only part of the story.

USC also brings back Jazzy Davidson, the reigning national freshman of the year, and Kennedy Smith, who earned All-Big Ten Defensive Team recognition. The Trojans have added a highly regarded recruiting class that includes top-ranked prospect Saniyah Hall, Australian standout Sitaya Fagan and Spanish forward/center Sara Okeke.

That combination gives Lindsay Gottlieb a deep roster heading into her sixth season as USC’s head coach.

Gottlieb has guided the Trojans through a significant resurgence. USC’s official coaching biography credits her with back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2024 and 2025, a Pac-12 Tournament championship in 2024 and the program’s first Big Ten regular-season championship in 2025.

South Carolina’s early-season schedule is loaded

The USC game is only one part of a demanding opening stretch for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina is scheduled to open the season against Maryland in Paris on Nov. 2, followed by a Nov. 8 meeting with North Carolina in Charlotte. The Gamecocks will also face in-state rival Clemson before traveling to Greenville for the USC matchup.

That means the November calendar will give South Carolina several opportunities to test itself before the heart of the season arrives.

For a team with championship expectations, those early games can provide valuable experience. Every possession matters when the opposition is fast, physical and talented, and the November schedule should offer plenty of those moments.

ABC gives the matchup a national stage

The 1 p.m. ET start also makes the game an easy one for fans across the country to follow.

South Carolina vs. USC

• Date: Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026
• Tip-off: 1 p.m. ET
• TV: ABC
• Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
• Matchup: South Carolina Gamecocks vs. USC Trojans
• Event: “The Real SC”

USC’s official schedule currently lists the contest as a neutral-site game in Greenville and identifies it under the “The Real SC” branding.

Fans looking for official schedule and ticket information can follow the USC women’s basketball schedule and South Carolina athletics for updates as game-day information develops.

Could this rivalry return to March?

That question is impossible to answer before the season begins, but the possibility adds another layer to the November meeting.

The teams already know what it feels like to see one another on the NCAA Tournament stage. Now they will meet much earlier, with both programs using the game as part of their preparation for another long postseason chase.

For South Carolina, the matchup represents another major test in a packed opening month. For USC, it is an opportunity to measure a reloaded roster against one of the sport’s established powers.

The first whistle will come well before March, but the atmosphere in Greenville could feel like something much bigger than an ordinary November afternoon.

And with South Carolina vs. USC tipping at 1 p.m. ET on ABC on Nov. 15, “The Real SC” will once again have the national spotlight.