Maryland Men's Basketball Schedules Neutral Site Clash Against South Carolina
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The non-conference schedule is coming together for Maryland men's basketball, as according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, the Terps have come to an agreement with an SEC program for a neutral site game.
Rothstein reports that Maryland will make the short trip up I-95 to downtown Baltimore on Saturday, December 19th to face South Carolina. The game will be played at CFG Bank Arena, which seats just under 12,000 for basketball.
NEWS: Maryland and South Carolina will meet on December 19th at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, according to multiple sources.https://t.co/sMFiuYlDs7
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 9, 2026
Rothstein also says that it will be part of a larger event featuring other teams from the DMV, with those matchups to be revealed at a later date.
The Terps opened last season at the Inner Harbor-adjacent venue with an 83-61 victory against Coppin State. This time however, they'll face another power conference opponent - albeit one who is coming off an unimpressive year.
The Gamecocks are led by fifth year head coach Lamont Paris, who previously earned 2024 SEC Coach of the Year for guiding South Carolina to just their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Since then however, the program has gone a combined 25-39 (6-30). Like Maryland, they are bringing in a group of six transfers this offseason to help reverse their fortunes.
Unlike Maryland, they do not have a strong freshman class as additional reinforcements - only four star point guard Marcus Johnson and Argentinian power forward Juan Francisco Fernandez.
With the team's top seven (!) scorers all gone in one way or another, and only two proven scorers transferring in from low majors, the Gamecocks seem to have a rocky road ahead of them.
Meanwhile, the Terps have both a Top 10 recruiting class led by local five star Baba Oladotun and several transfers with starting experience. Combined with returning contributors Andre Mills and Pharrel Payne, the program looks to rebound after an uncharacteristic 12-21 campaign.
Maryland head coach Buzz Williams faced Paris three times while leading Texas A&M, defeating him during both trips to Columbia but falling once in College Station.
In addition to this de facto home game, the Terps have five other out-of-conference games currently scheduled:
- Three games in Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival, beginning with Tenessee on Tuesday, November 24.
- A home game against old ACC foe Virginia on Friday, November 13.
- A trip to D.C. to play Georgetown at a to be determined time.
Maryland has also received their Big Ten opponents for the upcoming season, featuring double matchups with Indiana, Michigan State, and Rutgers.
Check back with Maryland On SI for further updates on the Terrapins' 2025-26 schedule, including special events planned for the 25th Anniversary of the 2002 NCAA National Championship.
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Mike joined Maryland On SI with over four years of sportswriting experience. He started off his career in Syracuse on the Orange football beat, where he was featured on CBS Sports' Cover 3 Podcast and local ESPN sports talk radio. After that, he had a brief stint reporting on Major League Baseball before returning to college sports.
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