South Carolina announces that it will limit fans’ ability to play basketball at home by 20 percent

15-20 percent appears to be the magic number (s).

In a press release sent by the University of South Carolina on Tuesday afternoon, the school announced that it would limit fans’ ability to play men’s and women’s basketball games at home to approximately 3,500, or about 20 percent. As expected, facial coverage will be required for all participants in the Colonial Life Arena and all guests must obey the safety guidelines instituted by the University and the Southeast Conference.

“Capacity will be reduced to approximately 3,500 seats available per game, with ticket pods in groups of two, four and six seats with approximately six feet of distance between pods,” the launch declared.

One step closer, FAMS! We were approved for capacity in @CLAmktg ??? https: //t.co/SW1S35i6Wc

– GamecockWBB (@GamecockWBB) November 3, 2020

This news is relevant because it is in line with what we have heard about the seating capacity at the Rupp Arena and Memorial Coliseum for the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball seasons. Kentucky is expected to allow 15% fan participation, which would be equivalent to about 3,075 fans, but the school has not yet been launched and nothing official yet.

Also hidden in the Gamecocks’ press release was the new placement of the team’s seats and improvised seating restrictions. During home games in South Carolina, both teams will be located on the opposite side of the court and the first five rows of seats will be empty. For the USC women’s program, they have spearheaded the country’s participation every year since the end of the 2015 season and have fed heavily on that energy.