The South Carolina women’s basketball team opens the 2026-27 season Sunday with an unusual setting, a new-look roster and a first-of-its-kind event for Dawn Staley’s program.
The Gamecocks will face College of Charleston at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 27, in an exhibition matchup at Credit One Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.
Rather than beginning the season inside a traditional basketball arena, South Carolina will take the court outdoors as part of the LinkU Invitational exhibition basketball showcase.
There is no traditional television broadcast scheduled for the game. Fans who want to watch the matchup will need to turn to streaming.
How to watch South Carolina vs. College of Charleston
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026
- Tipoff: 4 p.m. ET
- TV: No traditional TV channel
- Streaming: ESPN+
- Location: Credit One Stadium, Charleston, South Carolina
- Announcers: Faxton Childress and Randolph Childress
The game will stream on ESPN+, with coverage available through the ESPN app and ESPN’s streaming service.
For viewers hoping to catch an early glimpse of Staley’s new roster, this exhibition provides the first opportunity to see the Gamecocks in action before the regular season begins.
An outdoor game unlike anything South Carolina has done before
Staley is entering her 19th season as South Carolina’s head coach, but Sunday’s event will bring a completely different atmosphere.
Instead of the familiar hardwood and enclosed arena, the Gamecocks will play beneath the open Charleston sky at Credit One Stadium.
The unusual setting is part of a larger exhibition showcase featuring four teams. South Carolina vs. College of Charleston is the third basketball game scheduled for the day.
The men’s schedule begins with Virginia vs. Vanderbilt at noon ET, followed by College of Charleston vs. The Citadel at 2 p.m. South Carolina’s women’s exhibition then takes the spotlight at 4 p.m.
For players, the conditions could create an experience unlike a typical preseason scrimmage. Outdoor light, wind and the stadium environment all add elements that simply do not exist inside a conventional college basketball venue.
First look at South Carolina’s new roster
Sunday also marks the first public game for a South Carolina roster featuring significant new faces.
The Gamecocks have a 15-player roster, including two transfers and five freshmen. With the regular season still several weeks away, the exhibition should give Staley an opportunity to evaluate combinations, rotations and chemistry in a live-game environment.
The result may matter less than the information gathered.
Every possession can provide a clue about which players are ready for bigger roles, how the newcomers fit into the system and how the returning core looks after the offseason.
For fans, however, the biggest attraction is simple: basketball is finally back.
South Carolina’s 2026-27 schedule begins to take shape
The exhibition against College of Charleston is only the beginning of an ambitious schedule.
South Carolina’s regular season officially gets underway Nov. 2 against Maryland in Paris, France, giving the Gamecocks another unusual early-season setting.
The team will then face North Carolina in Charlotte on Nov. 8 before traveling to Clemson for an in-state matchup Nov. 12.
Other notable games include a Nov. 24 meeting with UConn at Mohegan Sun Arena, the ACC-SEC Challenge matchup at Duke on Dec. 3, and a December tournament in Las Vegas featuring UCLA and Notre Dame.
The Gamecocks also have SEC games against programs including Texas, Tennessee, LSU, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Auburn as the conference portion of the season unfolds.
When does South Carolina play College of Charleston?
South Carolina and College of Charleston are scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 27.
That means fans on the East Coast can tune in during the late afternoon, while viewers in Central Time should look for a 3 p.m. start. The game begins at 2 p.m. Mountain Time and 1 p.m. Pacific Time.
For international viewers, including fans watching from Nigeria, the scheduled tipoff corresponds to 9 p.m. West Africa Time.
Where can fans stream the game?
There is no cable or broadcast TV channel listed for the exhibition.
Instead, the matchup is scheduled to stream on ESPN+ through the ESPN app and ESPN’s streaming platform. Viewers should check their ESPN account and local availability before tipoff.
The exhibition is particularly significant because it offers the first game action of the new season and the first chance to see how South Carolina’s revamped roster looks against an opponent.
An outdoor court, a Charleston crowd and a new season create a setting that should feel very different from the controlled environment of a preseason practice.
And for South Carolina fans, the wait is almost over.
The South Carolina women’s basketball vs College of Charleston time and TV channel details are clear: tipoff is 4 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 27, with the exhibition streaming exclusively on ESPN+.
About this article
Discover more from ElitePressLine
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
