Good morning. SEC play starts tomorrow for Gamecock women’s hoops. Get prepped with a full breakdown of the first half of the team’s conference schedule.

What else is mixed into today’s Brew? ⤵️

🏀 Bracket season
🏅 Dive right in
🤙 And much, much more

🎥 GAMECOCKS+

Chapter 2 of Changing Expectations, a Gamecocks+ original series featuring South Carolina men’s hoops, premieres this Thursday, January 4th, at 8 PM! 

What a start for the Gamecocks in Year 2 of the Lamont Paris era. Stacking wins, and putting the league on notice, South Carolina is off to its best start since its magical Final Four run. Hear from the veterans on this Gamecock squad as we take you through the first month of the 2023-24 season.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Bracket Season. It’s SEC play time for Gamecock men’s and women’s basketball, and with that, it means it’s also time for bracketology! Multiple analysts have slotted South Carolina women’s basketball as the first overall seed. ESPN and HerHoopStats currently project the Gamecocks will host three teams at Colonial Life Arena as part of the NCAA Tournament. On February 15 and 29, the D1 women’s basketball committee will unveil its Top 16 preview.

Over on the men’s side of the ball, ESPN’s Joe Lundari projects the squad will go dancing! South Carolina is currently penciled in as a No. 11 seed.

🔼 Gamecocks In The NFL. With Week 17 in the books, it’s time to see how our Gamecocks are faring as the NFL regular season draws to a close. Jadeveon Clowney and the Ravens are playoff-bound as Clowney has racked up 38 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, 18 QB hurries, and a forced fumble on the season. Stephon Gilmore logged two tackles, giving him 62 this year, while Ernest Jones hit the double-digit figure yet again with 13 tackles and one QB hurry for the Rams.

With his 13 tackles on Sunday, Jones claimed the Rams’ franchise record for most tackles in a single season, a mark previously held by James Laurinaitis.

Javon Kinlaw added two tackles for the 49ers and Chris Lammons posted four tackles and a pass defended for the Colts. Keisean Nixon had a big game for the Packers with 11 tackles, half a sack, and a QB hurry; Zacch Pickens broke up a pass as the Bears beat the Falcons.

Kevin Harris found the stat sheet for the Patriots, logging 15 rushing yards and 54 receiving yards, while Deebo Samuel hauled in five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown, and added three rushes for 35 yards as the 49ers locked up the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

🔼 Dive Right In. South Carolina is diving into 2024 with a trip to the Tennessee Diving Invitational today. The invitational runs through January 5 with competitors from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, NC State, and SMU. Blair Isenhour will headline events for South Carolina’s women divers as she has five top-three finishes this season, while Charley Bayer leads the men’s team with five top-three finishes. More info on the meet here.

🤔 GAMECOCK TRIVIA

Final Four. The last time South Carolina men’s basketball made March Madness, the squad ran all the way to the Final Four. Can you name all of the teams they beat en route to cutting down the nets?

Got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the right answer!

📬 STICK WITH US

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📬 A LOOK AHEAD

Wednesday 1/3 - Friday 1/5

🏊 Diving @ Tennessee Diving Invitational in Knoxville, TN

Thursday 1/4

🏀 Women’s Basketball @ Florida @ 7:00pm ET on SEC Network

Friday 1/5 - Sunday 1/7

🎾 Men’s Tennis @ The Gamecock Kickoff in Columbia, SC

Friday 1/5

🏊 Swim Only @ Florida @ 11:00AM ET

Saturday 1/6

🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Mississippi State @ 12:00pm ET on CBS | Tickets

Sunday 1/7

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Mississippi State @ 1:00pm ET on ESPN | Tickets

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: South Carolina beat Marquette, Duke, Baylor, and Florida as part of the team’s Final Four run.

🤙 Have a good Wednesday, y’all.