South Carolina basketball is a 1½-point favourite in opposition to Oregon in its first-round NCAA Match recreation Thursday – the slimmest margin of victory projected within the Midwest Area’s opening-round matchups.
The Gamecocks are used to not being heavy favorites, so it’s nothing new for coach Lamont Paris’ crew.
“We’re not the horny choose. We’ve by no means been the horny choose,” Paris stated. “There’ll proceed to be loads of issues to encourage this group, to play with a chip on their shoulder.”
South Carolina (26-7) will get that chance in opposition to the Geese (23-11), who earned a berth in March Insanity by profitable three video games in three days en path to the Pac-12 Match title after a fourth-place league end within the common season.
IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s basketball event bracket contests for an opportunity at $1 million prize.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA event brackets, scores, schedules, groups and extra.
South Carolina basketball dwell rating updates vs. Oregon
FINAL: Oregon 87, South Carolina 73
The Gamecocks end 26-8 in Yr 2 of the Lamont Paris period, an unquestioned profitable season.
Meechie Johnson and Collin Murray-Boyles will probably be among the many possible returnees subsequent season presuming they return to Columbia, and that will be fairly the place to begin for subsequent 12 months’s roster.
Paris will definitely be irritated by Oregon capturing 59% from the ground given how the Gamecocks have defended all season. Jermaine Couisnard completed with 40 factors in opposition to his former faculty. Meechie Johnson led the Gamecocks with 24 factors.
Oregon 78, South Carolina 65 with 2:09 left second half | Uphill climb for the Gamecocks
Each Meechie Johnson and BJ Mack have 4 fouls. Jermaine Couisnard has an Oregon NCAA Match program-record 36 factors. The Gamecocks are 2:09 away from their season’s finish.
Oregon 67, South Carolina 54 with 6:58 left second half | Meechie Johnson has 12 factors within the second half, however Gamecocks want stops
Oregon is capturing above 50% from the ground within the recreation and within the second half. Jermaine Couisnard is as much as 29 factors, with N’Faly Dante at 22 factors. South Carolina has not discovered a solution for both Geese star thus far.
Meechie Johnson has 15 factors, 12 coming within the second half. Gamecocks are capturing above 50% from the sphere within the second half, together with 4-of-6 from 3.
BJ Mack has 4 fouls and has been sitting for a short time now. Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk received some enjoying time throughout that phase.
Oregon 57, South Carolina 43 with 11:52 left second half | Gamecocks protection combating Couisnard, Dante
Jermaine Couisnard is as much as 26 factors on 11-of-17 capturing as he torches the Gamecocks backcourt on the dribble-drive.
Oregon’s N’Faly Dante has 17 factors, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and a pair of steals.
Meechie Johnson and Ta’Lon Cooper have began to get happening the opposite finish, however South Carolina wants stops and scores to string collectively shortly.
HALFTIME: Oregon 34, South Carolina 29
The Gamecocks received to the free throw line simply sufficient to maintain tabs with Oregon throughout a eight-minute stretch the place SC didn’t make a area purpose. Oregon took benefit with a 18-6 run, however Ta’Lon Cooper ends the half with a banked-in 60-foot buzzer beater to chop Oregon’s result in 5.
B.J. Mack has seven factors on 3-of-8 capturing, whereas Jacobi Wright has 5 factors on 2-of-4 capturing. These are the one two Gamecocks with a number of made area targets.
Oregon’s Jermaine Couisnard has 14 factors on 6-of-9 capturing. The Geese shot 60% within the first half.
South Carolina 20, Oregon 19 at 7:04 first half | Jermaine Couisnard preserving Oregon inside a bucket
After back-to-back Gamecocks 3-pointers, Oregon’s Jermaine Couisnard solutions with 5 straight factors together with a large open 3.
Meechie Johnson had a kind of South Carolina 3-pointers however dedicated his second foul proper earlier than the media timeout.
South Carolina 13, Oregon 13 at 10:01 first half | Grind-it-out recreation
South Carolina is on a 3-minute scoring drought however is tied at 13 halfway by way of the primary half. SC’s protection has pressured seven Oregon turnovers thus far. Geese have shot 6-of-10 thus far, however the Gamecocks protection is making every little thing troublesome.
This could possibly be a first-to-60 factors recreation.
Gamecocks settling into circulate of the sport in opposition to Oregon’s a number of appears to be like
South Carolina had a sluggish begin within the first jiffy however have settled into navigating the Oregon matchup zone.
These 8-footers are going to be there in the course of that zone. Can South Carolina make sufficient of them? Oregon leads 7-5 on the first timeout.
Underway in Pittsburgh
Oregon and South Carolina get underway at about 4:10 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh. The winner will get Creighton within the second spherical after the Jays beat Akron earlier Thursday.
Former Gamecocks guard Jermaine Couisnard is among the many Oregon starters, as is regular.
What channel is South Carolina basketball vs. Oregon on at this time?
South Carolina basketball vs. Oregon begin time
- Date: March 21, 2024
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
We sometimes advocate attention-grabbing services and products. In the event you make a purchase order by clicking one of many hyperlinks, we could earn an affiliate payment. USA TODAY Community newsrooms function independently and this does not affect our protection.