No. 1 University of South Carolina will face No. 3 Southern California on Nov. 15 in Greenville in the battle of the Real SC, a top-three matchup that now has a date, a time and a national television window. The game is set for 1 p.m. at Bon Secours Wellness Arena and will air on ABC.
That makes the matchup one of the early season's biggest draws, with South Carolina taking on its third ranked opponent while Southern California gets its first ranked test of the year. The setting also gives the meeting a neutral-stage feel, which is why Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville is hosting it as part of The Real SC event rather than placing it on either campus.
The interest is not only about rank. South Carolina is 5-0 all-time against Southern California, and the two teams met twice last season, with South Carolina winning both games in The Real SC series. One of those wins came in a rematch in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbia, a result that still shapes how this matchup is viewed.
That history is what gives this meeting its edge. Southern California arrives with the higher profile of a No. 3 team, but South Carolina has never lost to the Trojans, and the last season's two results leave little ambiguity about which side has owned the series. The numbers make this more than a showcase; they make it a test of whether the pattern can finally change.
For now, the next chapter is fixed. South Carolina and Southern California will meet on Nov. 15 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, and the winner will walk away with more than an early-season statement in The Real SC.
