The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I.
The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics. USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are baseball and men's basketball. USA sponsors 8 men's sports teams and 9 women's sports teams. The board of trustees voted to start a football program that began play in the fall of 2009.
The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gamecocks won Southern Conference titles in 1927, 1933, 1934, and 1945, and then they gained national attention under hall of fame coach Frank McGuire, posting a 205–65 record from 1967 to 1976, which included the 1970 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship, the 1971 ACC Tournament title, and four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1971 to 1974. The program also won the 1997 SEC championship, National Invitation Tournament (NIT) titles in 2005 and 2006, and a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern division title. Most recently, the Gamecocks won the 2017 NCAA East Regional Championship, reaching the Final Four for the first time in school history. Lamont Paris is the current head coach, and the team plays at the 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena.
The South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Under current head coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks have been one of the top programs in the country, winning the NCAA Championship in 2017 and 2022. The program also enjoyed success under head coach Nancy Wilson during the 1980s in the Metro Conference, when it won five regular season conference championships and three conference tournament championships.
The South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer team represents the University of South Carolina and, as of the 2022 college soccer season, competes in the Sun Belt Conference. The team is coached by Tony Annan, who succeeded Mark Berson as head coach after the 2020 season. Berson had been the Gamecocks' only head coach since the program's inception in 1978 and had participated in 20 NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Quarterfinals on four occasions. Since 1981, South Carolina has played its home games at Stone Stadium, which is affectionately called "The Graveyard" by South Carolina fans due to an adjoining cemetery.
The Davidson Wildcats are the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics teams representing Davidson College of Davidson, North Carolina, United States. A member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), Davidson College sponsors teams in ten men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The Wildcats previously competed in the Southern Conference, and the wrestling team retains associate membership in that league since the sport is not sponsored by the A-10. The football team is a member of the Pioneer Football League, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conference of schools that do not offer athletic scholarships for football.
The Furman Paladins are the varsity athletic teams representing Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate athletics.
The Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team represents the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in all NCAA Division I men's college soccer competitions. The Hokies are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and play their home matches at Sandra D. Thompson Field.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in most sports, having joined that conference as a full but non-football member on July 1, 2016. At that time, the football team began a transition from the second-level Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The team played the 2016 season as an FCS independent, joined SBC football for the 2017 season, and became full FBS members for 2018 and beyond. A Chanticleer is a proud and fierce rooster. Before joining the SBC, the Chanticleers had been members of the Big South Conference since that league's formation in 1983. Coastal fields varsity teams in 19 sports, 8 for men and 11 for women. The university regularly competed for the Sasser Cup, the Big South's trophy for the university with the best sports program among the member institutions, winning the trophy nine times, tied with rival Liberty University.
The Clemson Tigers men's soccer team represent Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I soccer. The program has won 4 NCAA national championships, 16 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, and hosted 4 Hermann Trophy winners.
The 2001 season for the Gamecock men's soccer team was a memorable one that featured marquee wins over opponents such as Furman, Penn State, and Wake Forest. After receiving a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament, they were knocked out by UAB on a golden goal in overtime.
The following contains the names of the members of the 2004 South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer team and the results of each match. The 2004 season was a successful one for Gamecock soccer that would include a berth in the NCAA Tournament, their 17th all-time. The team finished the season with a 12–7–1 record that included four wins over top-25 opponents. The 2004 roster was a star-studded one that included three future professionals; Brad Guzan, Mike Sambursky, and Josh Alcala.
Although there are no major league professional franchises based in South Carolina, the state does have numerous minor league teams. The Carolina Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes major league professional teams are based in neighboring North Carolina. However, the Carolina Panthers, a professional American football team of the NFL, are based near the South Carolina border, have training facilities in Spartanburg, and have shown their desire to represent both of the Carolinas, with the motto "two states, one team". Similarly, Charlotte FC, a professional men's soccer club of MLS, is also based near the border and has a primary jersey which represents both states. College teams throughout the state represent their particular South Carolina institution, along with the state being a prime destination for golf and water sports.
The Charlotte 49ers men's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As of the upcoming 2022 season, the team is a member of the NCAA Division I American Athletic Conference. The team plays their home games at Transamerica Field in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2011, the team reached the championship of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, for the first time in program history.
The UNC Greensboro Spartans men's soccer team is the varsity intercollegiate athletic team of University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. The team is a member of the Southern Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. UNCG's first men's soccer team was fielded in 1971. The team plays its home games at UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro. The UNCG Spartans have a three pronged coaching system run by head coach Chris Rich (2019) and assistant coaches Garrett McLaughlin (2018) and Jaime Ibarra (2019).
The Davidson Wildcats men's soccer team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. The team is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. Davidson's first men's soccer team was fielded in 1956. The team plays its home games at Alumni Soccer Stadium in Davidson, North Carolina. The Wildcats are coached by Mike Babst.
The Missouri State Bears men's soccer team represent Missouri State University in NCAA Division I men's soccer. They compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. The team plays its home matches at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium. They are currently coached by Jon Leamy who is entering his 29th season as head coach. Missouri State has made 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 2019. Their overall record in the NCAA Tournament is 1–4. They have won 8 conference regular season titles and one conference tournament. Missouri State has had 8 players selected in the MLS Draft.
The 2016–17 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by ninth-year head coach Dawn Staley, played their home games at the Colonial Life Arena and were members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 33–4, 11–2 in SEC play to win the SEC regular season and tournament championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA women's tournament. They defeated UNC Ashville and Arizona State in the first and second rounds, Quinnipiac in the sweet sixteen and Florida State in the elite eight to advance to their second final four in school history. In the national semifinal in Dallas they defeated Stanford and beat SEC rival Mississippi State in the final to win their first NCAA National Championship. A'ja Wilson was named the Most Outstanding Player in the National Championship Game.
The 2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Gamecocks, led by tenth year head coach Dawn Staley, played their home games at the Colonial Life Arena and were members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 29–7, 12–4 in SEC play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi State to win the SEC women's tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA women's tournament. They defeated North Carolina A&T and Virginia in the first and second rounds, Buffalo in the sweet sixteen before losing to Connecticut in the elite eight.
The SEC Derby is the set of matches between the University of Kentucky Wildcats and University of South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer teams. A conference matchup since 2005, since the 2022 season, it has been a conference matchup in the Sun Belt Conference. Both programs had been single-sport members of Conference USA (C-USA) from 2005 through the 2021 season. Both teams are the only colleges in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) which sponsor men's soccer, which the conference does not sponsor as an indirect consequence of Title IX restrictions. South Carolina had started its program in 1978 while an independent, and UK started its program in 1991. From 1991 to 2004, UK had been a Mid-American Conference member for men's soccer only. Despite having joined the Metro Conference in 1983, South Carolina continued to play men's soccer as an independent, not joining for that sport until 1993, two years after the rest of its athletic program had joined the SEC. The Gamecocks also played in the Metro in that league's final men's soccer season of 1994. The following year, C-USA was created with the merger of the Metro with the Great Midwest Conference, a league that had been formed in 1991 by a group of schools that included three charter Metro members. South Carolina was not invited to remain as a men's soccer member after the merger.
