Jermaine Couisnard scores program-record 40 points as No. 11 Oregon upsets No. 6 South Carolina

PITTSBURGH — After playing its way into the NCAA Tournament by winning the Pac-12 championship, No. 11 Oregon showed no lack of energy, frustrating South Carolina defensively in an upset of the sixth-seeded Gamecocks, 87-73, in their Midwest Region first round game Thursday afternoon.

Oregon guard Jermaine Couisnard made the most of his revenge game opportunity. The former Gamecock who transferred to Oregon two seasons ago after South Carolina coach Frank Martin was fired, scored a career-high and program NCAA Tournament record 40 points to lead the win.

“I kind of heard somebody say something on the court to me. That’s what got me going,” Couisnard said. “But it was fun, man. Those guys kind of made me. I grew a lot. I learned a lot when I was there. So I appreciate those guys more than anything.”

Ducks center N’faly Dante backed up his Pac-12 title game performance with 23 points, his second-straight game with 20 or more and third in his last five.

“He was out ten weeks, you know, and he comes back mid-January, and when you’re a man that size, it takes a while,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said of Dante. “So I think his conditioning has gotten much better. Jermaine and him have gotten a much better feel of playing with each other.” 

The upset-minded Ducks now have another challenge on Saturday in the second round against third-seeded Creighton with a trip to the Sweet 16  on the line. The Bluejays advanced earlier Thursday, 77-60, over No. 14 Akron, and will meet former coach Altman, who led the program for 16 seasons before leaving for Oregon in 2010.

“You can leave a place, but that doesn’t mean you still don’t love the place,” Altman said. “And I’ve had 14 great years at Oregon, and I love this place. And when I’m done, I’ll feel the same way about Oregon as I do about Creighton. I’m the luckiest guy. I’ve coached 30 years at two great schools.

“I follow them. My family’s all back in Nebraska. Oregon is 1, but I think Creighton is 1A. There’s not much separation. I still love the school.”

South Carolina (26-8), which posted a 15-win improvement in coach Lamont Paris’ second season to make its first NCAA appearance since a Final Four run in 2017, was led by Meechie Johnson’s 24 points. 

Though Oregon (24-11) shot nearly 61% in the first half, pace and scoring was an issue for both. Couisnard stood above everyone else with his 14 points in the frame, as only one other player — Dante — scored more than five.

The Gamecocks made only three field goals in the final 12:57 of the first half. All were threes, with the final one a Ta’lon Cooper buzzer-beater from half court as time expired. Add in seven scattered foul shots over that same period and South Carolina’s deficit was only five, 34-29, after shooting only 32% (9-of-28).

“South Carolina is a really physical, well-coached team, and we out-rebounded them, which I thought was critical,” Altman said. “We had nine turnovers at half, but only one the second half, and I thought that really helped us.”

Dante began to carry the mail for the Ducks after the break, scoring eight of their first 12 second-half points and extending the lead to 46-34. Couisnard would add eight straight points via a layup and and transition three, and Oregon grew their lead to 17 points, 51-37, and held on for a win that wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate.

“They’re easy to work with. They listen. They try to do what I ask them to do. So I’m really happy for both of them,” Altman said. “They’ve carried us. I just tried to stay out of the way. Those two guys have done a great job, and they carried us through the conference.”