Wake Forest Athletics
Men’s Basketball to Face South Carolina in Exhibition Game at Rock Hill Sports & Event Center
9/14/2026 12:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Demon Deacons and Gamecocks meet in exhibition game on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest men's basketball team will take on South Carolina in an exhibition game at Rock Hill Sports & Event Center on Thursday, Oct. 15. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. from Rock Hill, S.C. in the Demon Deacons' second exhibition contest of the 2026-27 preseason.
Tickets to the Demon Deacons vs. Gamecocks exhibition contest are on sale now at this link. The game will be streamed via Spiideo.
The Oct. 15 matchup with the Gamecocks will be Wake Forest's second exhibition game of the 2026-27 preseason as the Demon Deacons will host Georgetown inside LJVM Coliseum at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 4. The 2026-27 Wake Forest men's basketball season officially tips off on Nov. 2 when the Demon Deacons host Maryland Eastern Shore.
South Carolina is coming off a 2025-26 season that saw the Gamecocks go 13-19 overall and 4-14 in SEC play. The 2026-27 Gamecock roster features 12 newcomers with seven student-athletes arriving to Columbia via the transfer portal. South Carolina returns three lettermen from last year's roster, headlined by Grant Polk who appeared in 30 games, averaging 12.9 minutes per game and 3.8 points per outing, while registering a 32.9 percent clip from deep.
The 2026-27 Deacs
The Demon Deacons enter the 2026-27 season with a talented and reloaded roster featuring a mix of proven collegiate talent, highly-regarded newcomers and international experience.
In addition to returning sophomore Isaac Carr who saw action in 26 games last season, Wake Forest welcomes MAAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year Kevair Kennedy, versatile Kansas transfer Jamari McDowell and sharpshooter Justin Ray, along with size in Ring Nyeri, Antonio Dorn and Xander Pintelon. The Deacs also add top-100 freshman twins Gallagher and Gavin Placide, as well as Lukas Bojovic, who helped lead Slovenia to the 2026 U18 European Championship.
Tickets to the Demon Deacons vs. Gamecocks exhibition contest are on sale now at this link. The game will be streamed via Spiideo.
The Oct. 15 matchup with the Gamecocks will be Wake Forest's second exhibition game of the 2026-27 preseason as the Demon Deacons will host Georgetown inside LJVM Coliseum at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 4. The 2026-27 Wake Forest men's basketball season officially tips off on Nov. 2 when the Demon Deacons host Maryland Eastern Shore.
South Carolina is coming off a 2025-26 season that saw the Gamecocks go 13-19 overall and 4-14 in SEC play. The 2026-27 Gamecock roster features 12 newcomers with seven student-athletes arriving to Columbia via the transfer portal. South Carolina returns three lettermen from last year's roster, headlined by Grant Polk who appeared in 30 games, averaging 12.9 minutes per game and 3.8 points per outing, while registering a 32.9 percent clip from deep.
The 2026-27 Deacs
The Demon Deacons enter the 2026-27 season with a talented and reloaded roster featuring a mix of proven collegiate talent, highly-regarded newcomers and international experience.
In addition to returning sophomore Isaac Carr who saw action in 26 games last season, Wake Forest welcomes MAAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year Kevair Kennedy, versatile Kansas transfer Jamari McDowell and sharpshooter Justin Ray, along with size in Ring Nyeri, Antonio Dorn and Xander Pintelon. The Deacs also add top-100 freshman twins Gallagher and Gavin Placide, as well as Lukas Bojovic, who helped lead Slovenia to the 2026 U18 European Championship.
- Isaac Carr
- Returns to Wake Forest for 2026-27 season following freshman campaign in which he saw action in 26 games and made four starts.
- Started four-straight games in ACC play against Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia and Cal to conclude the regular season.
- Kevair Kennedy
- First player in MAAC history to earn Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season after averaging 18.4 points and 4.2 assists per game at Merrimack.
- Scored 20-plus points in 16 games during his freshman campaign, including a season-high 32-point performance against Siena.
- Two-time MAAC Player of the Week, seven-time MAAC Rookie of the Week and NABC All-North Atlantic District First Team selection.
- Jamari McDowell
- Transferred from Kansas after appearing in 66 games for the Jayhawks over three seasons.
- Athletic, versatile guard capable of playing all three perimeter positions with a reputation for defense and leadership.
- Tallied 10 points to help Kansas knock off No. 1 Arizona last season.
- Strong student-athlete who earned two Academic All-Big 12 honors.
- Justin Ray
- Arrives from Monmouth after averaging 11.3 points per game and knocking down a team-best 66 three-pointers.
- Scored 20-plus points four times in 2025-26, including a 25-point performance at Syracuse.
- Owns a career 40.8 percent mark from three-point range while scoring 492 collegiate points through two seasons.
- Ring Nyeri
- Transferred from Northern Colorado after averaging 8.5 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game.
- Efficient scorer who shot 53.6 percent from the floor while adding 28 blocks and shooting 35.3 percent from three.
- CSC Academic All-District selection with experience at both Northern Colorado and Kansas City.
- Antonio Dorn
- Seven-foot center who transferred from Virginia Tech after appearing in 24 games as a freshman.
- Shot 64.3 percent from the field and recorded eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks in the ACC Tournament.
- Previously competed professionally in Germany's second division and represented Germany at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship.
- Xander Pintelon
- Belgian forward who started 25 games at FAU, averaging 6.2 points while shooting 35.2 percent from three.
- Former Belgian National Team member who helped his country reach the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship semifinals.
- Stretch forward with international experience and an 85.4 percent free-throw percentage last season.
- Gavin Placide
- Consensus top-50 recruit and top-10 prospect in Texas, helping lead Wake Forest's highest-ranked recruiting class in over a decade.
- Four-star, 6-foot-11 forward known for his versatility, rebounding and ability to score inside and out.
- Played at Faith Family Academy (Texas) after helping Sunrise Christian Academy to a 17-win season.
- Gallagher Placide
- Four-star, top-100 recruit who joins twin brother Gavin in Wake Forest's nationally ranked recruiting class.
- Versatile 6-foot-10 wing recognized for his defensive versatility and ability to guard multiple positions.
- Ranked among the top-10 prospects in Texas while starring at Faith Family Academy.
- Lukas Bojovic
- The 6-foot-6 freshman joins the Demon Deacons after helping lead Slovenia to its first-ever U18 European Championship, scoring 21 points on 60 percent shooting in the championship game.
- Bojovic is coming off a sensational 2025-26 campaign in Serbia, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game for Partizan Belgrade's U19 squad while shooting 54.7 percent from the field. He ranked among the league leaders in scoring, assists and steals while earning Serbian Junior League Player of the Week honors three times.
- His outstanding season culminated in sweeping the Eurobasket.com All-Serbian Junior League awards, earning Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, Bosman Player of the Year, First Team All-League and All-Defensive Team honors.
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