Quack attack
Couisnard’s 40 lift 11 seed Oregon past Gamecocks
PITTSBURGH — Jermaine Couisnard swears it wasn’t personal and he wasn’t seeking revenge against South Carolina. He got some anyway. Couisnard scored a careerhigh 40 points — the most for an Oregon player in NCAA Tournament history — and he haunted his former team while leading the Ducks to an 87-73 victory in the first round of the Midwest Region on Thursday.
Couisnard, who spent three years at South Carolina before transferring in part because of a coaching change following the 2022 season, made five 3-pointers, dropped all seven free throws and went 14-of-22 from the field to pace the 11th-seeded Ducks (24-11).
“He was really feeling it,” said Oregon coach Dana Altman. “He had a couple 3s that were tough, and that really got him going. He got in the paint and finished some tough shots. He just had it going. Those are games every player dreams of, getting it going and getting it going in the NCAA Tournament is a really good feeling.”
With his grandmother and parents watching from the front row, Couisnard put on quite a show while also exchanging a few words with some former teammates.
“It was fun, man,” the smooth guard said. “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.”
Oregon, which has been reduced to eight scholarship players due to injuries, advanced to the second round to face No. 3 seed Creighton, a 77-60 winner over No. 14 seed Akron in the first of four games at PPG Paints Arena.
The Creighton-Oregon matchup will have a family feel, as it will reunite Altman and Creighton, where he spent 16 years and built the Nebraska school into one of the nation’s best midmajor programs.