The Ducks are still dancing. Jermaine Couisnard and N’Faly Dante dominated the South Carolina Gamecocks to move Oregon past the First Round.
After a rocky first half filled with 9 personal fouls and 7 turnovers, Dana Altman’s halftime speech seemed to kick the Ducks back into gear. Coming out of the locker rooms, Oregon held a minimal 5-point lead.
The Ducks are firing on all cylinders 🦆#MarchMadness @OregonMBB pic.twitter.com/oqeeQVYb7v
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2024
Not only did the Ducks clean up their offensive game, but they also locked down the Gamecocks and forced 11 total turnovers and 22 personal fouls from South Carolina.
The most points ever by a Duck in a @MarchMadnessMBB game.
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) March 21, 2024
34 and counting for @The__Future11 🔥#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/U69kv92mfI
Couisnard didn’t stop at 34 points. At the end of regulation, the former Gamecock turned Duck had scored 40 points and contributed 6 assists for his team.
Controlling the paint, Dante completely shut down South Carolina’s big man B.J. Mack. The Duck center scored 23 points alongside 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
The freshman stars didn’t disappoint in their first NCAA Tournament appearances. Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans Jr. were pests on the defensive end of the court. The freshman duo combined for 19 points to open the Ducks lead.
Oregon fans, and possibly even players, were looking at an NIT birth until the Ducks shocked the world by winning the Pac-12 Tournament title. The team has only had eight scholarship players available to play during the postseason but Oregon has made it work.
Dana Altman is leading the Ducks in their eighth NCAA Tournament with him as a head coach. Before taking over Oregon’s program, Altman was the Creighton Bluejay’s head coach.
Creighton took down the Akron Zips 77-60 in their first-round matchup. The Bluejays have the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region. Oregon and Creighton are set to play on Saturday, March 23.