Virginia Basketball To Face South Carolina On Future Schedules

Since taking over the Virginia basketball program in 2009, coach Tony Bennett has set up non-conference schedules to help grow and challenge the program. That tradition continued on Tuesday when UVA announced a two-game series with South Carolina that will begin next year.

South Carolina will host Virginia on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018 and then travel to John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019. Those games will occur shortly after the end of the exam break at UVA; Davidson (Saturday, Dec. 16), Savannah State (Tuesday, Dec. 19), and Hampton (Friday, Dec. 22) fall in that range on this year’s schedule.

The Gamecocks appeared in their first Final Four in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. South Carolina becomes the latest Power 5 conference team to test the Hoos.

In Bennett’s first two seasons, they played a home and home series with Stanford. In 2011-12, the Cavaliers faced LSU and Oregon on the road. They took on Tennessee the next two years in a home and home series. In 2015-16 and 2016-17, UVA battled Villanova in a home and home series. Last season, the Hoos also hosted West Virginia and they’ll return that trip this season on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

UVA begins its season on Friday against UNC Greensboro at the JPJ. After a Monday matchup with Austin Peay follows the opener, the Hoos play their first road game on Friday, Nov. 17 at VCU. See the full schedule here.