South Carolina upset by Oregon in March Madness as Jermaine Couisnard scores 40 vs former team
South Carolina basketball was eliminated by a familiar face Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon’s Jermaine Couisnard, who played his first three seasons at South Carolina, scored 40 points as the 11th-seeded Ducks (24-11) upset No 6 seed South Carolina, 87-73, at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena.
The Gamecocks (26-8) closed the season one win shy of the program’s all-time record after being projected for a last-place finish in the SEC’s preseason poll last October. The Gamecocks won only 11 games last year in coach Lamont Paris’ first season.
Paris, who was recently named SEC Coach of the Year, was attempting to become just the third coach in school history to win an NCAA Tournament game, joining Frank Martin (2017) and Frank McGuire (1972, 1973).
Jermaine Couisnard too much for South Carolina
The Gamecocks had no answers for Couisnard, who posted a record-breaking performance against his former team. His 40 points were the most ever by an Oregon player in NCAA Tournament play. He made 14-of-22 shots, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range, and also had a game-high six assists.
Couisnard began his career at South Carolina and was a key player for the Gamecocks for three seasons from 1999-2022. He left the program after the firing of Martin and the hiring of assistant Chuck Martin by Oregon.
Couisnard was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection this season after averaging 15.4 points and leading the team in assists and steals. He was a catalyst in the Ducks’ three-game run to the Pac-12 Tournament title, scoring 44 points and dishing out 21 assists.
Only two former teammates of Couisnard’s remain on South Carolina’s roster – senior Josh Gray and Jacobi Wright.
Ducks flexed inside muscle vs. South Carolina
Oregon’s big men inside also proved too much for the Gamecocks to handle. N’Faly Dante continued his torrid play of late, scoring 23 points and grabbing six rebounds. The 6-foot-11 center was coming off a 25-point performance in the Pac-12 Tournament title game in which he made all 12 of his shot attempts.
Fellow big man Kwame Evans, who’s 6-9, was an effective complementary piece, adding eight points and six rebounds. He and Dante combined to make 9-of-12 shots and block four shots.
South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles managed only six points and one rebound and Oregon outscored the Gamecocks in the paint, 36-24.
Ta'Lon Cooper drains long-range 3-pointer
After first-half struggles for both himself and his team, Cooper gave the Gamecocks a lift heading into halftime by making a 60-foot buzzer-beating shot. The long-range 3-pointer cut the Gamecocks’ halftime deficit to 34-29.
Cooper, who had just five points at the half, added 10 points in the second half to finish second on the team with 15 points. He made 6-of-10 shots from the floor, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Cooper finished the season by shooting 50% (12-of-24) on 3-point shots over the team’s final six games.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina vs Oregon in March Madness: Jermaine Couisnard scores 40
