Maddening: South Carolina MBB falls to Oregon in NCAAs for quick tournament exit
After a seven-year wait, it’s a one-and-done trip to the NCAA Tournament for No. 6 seed South Carolina.
In a year where South Carolina (26-8) proved so many folks wrong, in a season that was full of unexpected jubilation and surprise, it’s time to say goodbye. This is the group of Gamecocks that put USC back in the mix among the Southeastern Conference’s best teams.
Only one team at the end of March Madness walks home happy. On Thursday, Oregon (24-11) was the one to continue fighting for a chance to remain that lone, happy team with an 87-73 first-round win over the Gamecocks.
Jermaine Couisnard excels in return
Jermaine Couisnard came prepared to take on his former team, and he wasn’t going to make it easy either. It’s the first time Couisnard has seen his former program since transferring in 2022, and he didn’t waste the opportunity.
The Oregon guard had 16 points by the end of the first half, and finished the game with a career-high 40 points, six assists and three rebounds. He scored the most points by a Duck in NCAA Tournament history.
“I kind of heard somebody say something on the court to me,” Couisnard said, referencing an on-court conversation with Jacobi Wright. “That’s what got me going. I’m a competitor and that’s like a guy that I kind of mentored when I was there. So once he hit a 3 and he got to talking. But it was fun, man. Those guys kind of made me. I grew a lot.”
Couisnard and N’Faly Dante scored over 60 combined points to lead Oregon’s offense, while going 16-for-22 from the field. Even with South Carolina holding the remaining seven Ducks to under 10 points each, the Gamecocks couldn’t get quality stops on Couisnard or Dante.
Once Couisnard gave Oregon a double-digit lead, Couisnard and Dante switched to cruise control and glided on through.
“He’s a good player, made some tough shots, especially over good defense, contested defense,” Meechie Johnson said. “You try to contain him as much as we could.”
Struggling to shoot
For the third-straight game, South Carolina struggled to get any offense going. Oregon’s offense has been rolling since the start of the Pac-12 tournament last week, and it barreled through the Gamecocks’ defensive schemes Thursday.
USC shot just 31% from the field in the first half, not scoring a field goal for over eight minutes. Collin Murray-Boyles struggled to get any looks, most USC mid-range jumpers weren’t easy shots and the Gamecocks only had six offensive rebounds in the half.
The Gamecocks missed seven free throws, had over 50 shot attempts and couldn’t get more than a 6-0 run going.
Ta’Lon Cooper’s half-court heave at the buzzer helped keep it within a two-possession game, but the Ducks expanded it out to a 10-point lead three minutes into the second half.
“I didn’t have no thought,” he said after launching the half-court shot. “Just kind of let it go, see where it did, and it just went in, and I just kept running.”
Meechie Johnson (24), Cooper (15) and BJ Mack (13) were the lone players to score double figures for South Carolina. The Gamecocks shot 45% from the field, compared with Oregon’s 60%.
The next steps
Despite how the season ended, there’s still much South Carolina accomplished. The Gamecocks tied the program record for single season wins. Paris had one of the greatest regular season turnarounds in the country.
USC might not have won its first NCAA Tournament game, but just getting to the postseason is something it can be proud of.
“I feel like they’re going to think this was a winning group, changed the program around from the year before,” Cooper said, reflecting on the legacy this squad has. “Just a great group of guys that just love to play with each other.”
South Carolina’s roster will become significantly different over the next seven months. Mack, Cooper and Stephen Clark are out of eligibility. There’s some unknowns moving forward, including how hard USC will attack the transfer portal with two incoming freshmen committed for next year. That doesn’t include anyone on the current roster who chooses to transfer out.
Paris is under contract to stay in Columbia until 2030, a new deal that was sealed up during the SEC Tournament in Nashville last week. In that sense, one key part of the offseason is already taken care of.
This loss will leave a bruise, but it doesn’t change the work USC put in throughout this unprecedented and historic season. Paris said earlier this season — progress, however big or small, is a step in the right direction. This end is only the beginning.
“Obviously today was the last day,” Johnson said, “but they always believed in us when nobody else did and that’s why we were able to even get to this point, so it really starts with them and their belief in us.”
Other notable stats
Couisnard’s 40 points were a new record for points scored inside PPG Paints Arena.
Oregon’s 87 points scored marked the fourth time this season where USC allowed 80 in a game.
South Carolina finished the season with three players averaging double-digit points per game: Mack, Johnson and Murray-Boyles.
