South Carolina athletics announced Tuesday afternoon that the official capacity for Colonial Life Arena has been reduced to approximately 3,500 seats per game for the 2020-21 Gamecock men's and women's basketball seasons.
The usual capacity for the stadium is 18,000, meaning Colonial Life will be operating at just over 19% capacity.
Inside the arena, fans will see new signage directing foot traffic flows, changes in concession stands, restroom capacity and more. Face coverings will be required in all areas of the arena and ticket pods will be sold in groups of two, four and six seats with approximately 6 feet between pods to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
The athletics department tentatively set the week of Nov. 9 as the beginning of the seat selection process, but no other information on seat selection, student tickets or parking has yet been released.
Team benches will move to the opposite side of the court this year to allow for effective social distancing of team personnel and the people sitting at the scorers' table. Along with that, the first five rows of seating around the court will not be open to spectators.
Tickets for basketball games will be distributed mobile-only, much like all other home athletic events, and concessions will only be accepting debit cards, credit cards or mobile pay options. The gates to the arena will open an hour prior to tipoff.