Good morning. It’s tonight! Get pumped for the premiere of Chapter 2 of Changing Expectations and enjoy the trailer here!

What else is mixed into today’s Brew? ⤵️

🏀 Got freedom
🏠 At home
🤙 And much, much more

🎥 GAMECOCKS+

Join us TONIGHT at 8PM ET for Chapter 2 of Changing Expectations, a Gamecocks+ original series featuring South Carolina men’s hoops!

Year 2 of the Lamont Paris era is off to one heck of a start as the squad is racking up wins en route to a 12-1 record. It’s the program’s best start since its magical Final Four run. We’re sitting down with the team’s veteran leaders and recapping all the best moments from the first month of the season.

Don’t miss it tonight streaming exclusively on GamecocksPlus.com!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 They’ve Got The Freedom. What’s the secret driving Gamecock women’s basketball’s No. 1 ranking and perfect start to the season? Coach Dawn Staley is breaking it all down.

“They’re creating something that we really haven’t had because they’ve got the freedom to do what they want,” Staley said. “They still have the knowledge of discipline and how we want to play, but they’ve got the creativeness to play how it makes them feel good in a certain style.”

Read more here.

🔼 At Home. South Carolina signee Michael Smith, a four-star top-150 tight end, talked with GamecockCentral about why he chose to call Columbia home for the next chapter of his football career.

“Every coach will tell you, ‘You’re No. 1 on my board,’” Smith said. “But I actually felt like I was No. 1 on their board. Being in 10th grade, a 15-year-old getting a scholarship offer, they stayed consistent during the whole recruitment process. They recruited me and made me feel at home every time I went. That was the biggest part.”

🔼 Game On. 2024 is starting strong for the Gamecocks! South Carolina men’s tennis will start its spring season ranked No. 5 in the ITA preseason polls - the highest preseason team ranking in program history!

🔼 Short-Term Growth. True freshman Morris Ugusuk is turning heads with his play, and head coach Lamont Paris talked this week about why Ugusuk’s strong preseason led to the decision not to redshirt Ugusuk for his rookie season.

“I’ve been really impressed,” Paris said of Ugusuk’s play this season. “We felt as a staff that he had that in him. This is why his intent was to come and redshirt. It was our intent, too. We had all gotten together for this plan but he was ahead. Not only was he ahead, you could see the capacity he had for growth. Short-term growth.”

🤔 GAMECOCK TRIVIA

In The Postseason. The spring season is set to get underway for Gamecock men’s tennis on Friday. How many NCAA Championships appearances does South Carolina have all-time?

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

📬 STICK WITH US

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📬 A LOOK AHEAD

Thursday 1/4 - 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: Gamecock men’s tennis has made 28 NCAA Championships appearances with its best finish coming in the national semifinals in 1989.

🤙 Have a good Thursday, y’all.