Oregon men’s basketball to face South Carolina to open March Madness in 2024 NCAA Tournament
March Madness began a week ago for the Oregon men’s basketball team in Las Vegas.
It will continue on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
The Ducks (23-11) were given a No. 11 seed and will play No. 6 South Carolina (26-7) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The teams will meet at 1 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.
Oregon players and coaches gathered with family and select supporters Sunday afternoon in the Founders Club at Matthew Knight Arena for a Selection Sunday viewing party. Cheers filled the room when the Ducks were announced as one of 16 teams in the Midwest Region, which is anchored by No. 1 Purdue.
“It never gets old,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “It does leave an empty feeling when you’re not involved. The guys were excited. They were real excited last night.”
The winner of the game between the Ducks and Gamecocks will face the winner of No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 14 Akron on Saturday.
Altman spent 16 years coaching the Bluejays before taking the Oregon job in 2010. He went 327-176 with seven NCAA Tournament appearances at Creighton.
“I didn’t like seeing that,” Altman said. “I don’t know whether it’s my ego or what, but I still feel like a big part of it. I cheer for those guys. I got so many friends in Omaha and I follow them every game.”
But first things first, which is the opener against the Gamecocks.
“I have not seen South Carolina play, so we’ll get started tonight,” Altman said. “Quick turnaround with a Thursday game.”
The Gamecocks went 13-5 in the Southeastern Conference and went into the SEC Tournament last week ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press poll. They were eliminated from the tournament in their second game, an 86-55 loss to No. 12 Auburn on Friday.
Ducks’ guard Jermaine Couisnard began his career at South Carolina before transferring to Oregon before the 2022-23 season.
“It’s a good opportunity for us,” Couisnard said. “I know a couple of those guys over there, a couple of the strength coaches, trainers. It’s gonna be a fun game.”
Oregon is in the Big Dance for the first time since 2021 when it advanced to the Sweet 16, and the eighth time in Altman’s 14 seasons in Eugene.
"It's a dream come true," Couisnard said of hearing Oregon's name called Sunday.
Not even 24 hours earlier, the Ducks were cutting down the nets just off the Las Vegas Strip in T-Mobile Arena after wrapping up their improbable run to the Pac-12 Tournament title with a 75-68 win against Colorado in the conference championship game.
They arrived at the Pac-12 Tournament as the No. 4 seed and needing to win three games in three days to earn the Pac-12’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon accomplished that by beating No. 5 UCLA, No. 1 Arizona and then No. 3 Colorado. The Wildcats and Buffaloes had already defeated the Ducks twice each during the regular season.
But led by center N’Faly Dante, Oregon thrived under the pressure of the moment.
The Ducks’ first-team all-conference senior center averaged 20.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and was a combined 25-for-30 from the field in Las Vegas and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
“Everybody in that locker room knows, it’s not just getting there, but getting there and doing what we want to do,” Dante said. “We all have a goal. We want to go there to win it. … I think everybody’s over (the Pac-12 Tournament). We’re just going to focus on the next game. We’re just focused on South Carolina right now. One game at a time.”
Follow Chris Hansen on X @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon vs. South Carolina in March Madness, 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament
