After a 10-day layoff due to Winter exams, Tony Bennett and the Virginia men’s basketball team resumes non-conference play Wednesday night in Columbia against former conference foe South Carolina.

It’ll be the second true road test of the season after the Cavaliers knocked off another old ACC rival, 76-71, at Maryland in late November.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. on the SEC Network (DirecTV Ch. 611, Dish Ch. 408, Comcast/Xfinity Ch. 913).

The Wahoos (9-0) moved up a spot to No. 5 in the latest AP Top 25 poll and remained at No. 3 in the Coaches’ Poll. Through Monday, UVA ranks 2nd overall according to KenPom (4th AdjD, 12th AdjO) and also 2nd nationally in the NCAA NET rankings.

The Gamecocks (4-5) come in at 108th overall through Monday according to KenPom (61st AdjD, 161st AdjO), and 207th in the country in Tuesday’s NET rankings.

Frank Martin’s squad has dropped three of their last four contests and four of their last six, with head-scratching losses to Stony Brook and Wyoming along the way. South Carolina, which also lost by 20 to Wofford at home, came up short in Ann Arbor, 89-78, last time out (Dec. 8) against then-No. 5 Michigan.

“They’re similar with their personnel,” Martin said of facing the highly-ranked Michigan defense and Pack-Line back to back. “They play differently defensively… [The Cavaliers] have got unbelievable length at all five spots and they pressure the ball, but then they basically dare you, like, ‘Drive the ball. Go ahead, try,’ and they’ve got great hands and they don’t foul… they’re real good.”

Just two years after a program-record 26 wins and memorable run to the Final Four as a 7-seed with Sindarius Thornwell & Co., South Carolina failed to qualify for the postseason in 2017-18 with a final record of 17-16. In now his seventh season in Columbia, Martin has relied heavily on freshman A.J. Lawson, a 6-foot-6 wing who leads the team in scoring (just over 14 points a game), steals and assists.

Lawson is a dynamic scorer and can pull up, nail one from deep or take it to the hole.

Chris Silva, a 6-9, 234-pound senior forward who registered a double-double as a sophomore against Gonzaga in the National Semifinals in April 2017, tested the waters after being named First Team All-SEC and declared for the NBA Draft after last season, but decided to return. Silva, last year’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC, averages 11 points a night and leads the Gamecocks in blocked shots and rebounding, with 6.7 a contest.

Junior forward Maik Kotsar (8.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is the only other Gamecock to start every game this season. Redshirt senior Hassani Gravett provides a lift off the bench for Carolina, averaging 10 points a game, and has been known to light it up from behind the 3-point line. Keyshawn Bryant is another talented freshman to keep an eye on.

Sporting the nation’s second-best scoring defense (51.2 points allowed per game), the ‘Hoos have held eight of their nine opponents thus far under 60 points (and five of those under 50). Virginia has given up just 72 made free throws all season, which is the fewest allowed in the country. Cavalier opponents have made just 116 trips to the line, which is the second-fewest in the nation.

The Cavaliers will be playing their first game of the year without freshman point guard Kihei Clark (5.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.9 apg in 28.3 mpg), as he recovers from surgery on his wrist. Clark’s tenacious on-ball defense and floor-general skills must be replaced, as he became the team’s primary ball handler through the first nine games (starting the last four straight). Expect Ty Jerome to handle the rock more (like last season) and for Braxton Key and possibly Marco Anthony to see additional minutes as a result.

UVA returns to John Paul Jones Arena Saturday against William & Mary before hosting Marshall on New Year’s Eve for the last non-conference tune-up prior to kicking off the loaded ACC slate in January.