Oregon won three games in three days to become the last Pac-12 Tournament champion and is the No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region for this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Ducks are slight underdogs against No. 6 South Carolina in a first-round matchup Thursday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The game will be broadcast on TNT.
This is the first trip to the dance for Oregon since 2019 and the program’s first ever meeting with South Carolina. The Gamecocks last made the tournament in 2017.
We’ll take a look at the odds for this March Madness showdown below, including player and team props, spreads, and totals.
South Carolina turned things around this season
South Carolina made the Final Four in 2017 under Frank Martin but went 69-93 over its next six seasons without a tournament bid. Lamont Paris steered the Gamecocks to a 24-5 overall record and 12-4 mark in the SEC this season in his second year as head coach, and the Gamecocks are a top-tier defensive team with a very high assist-to-turnover ratio under his watch. Junior guard Meechie Johnson (13.8 points per game) and senior forward B.J. Mack (13.6 PPG) are the leading scorers for South Carolina.
Oregon’s recent March Madness history
The Ducks navigated the Pac-12 Tournament with wins over UCLA, Arizona, and Colorado this year. Oregon’s past tourney runs include a Sweet 16 trip in 2019 when it last made the field. Head coach Dana Altman also led Oregon to the Sweet 16 in 2013 after earning a late bid and steered the program to the Final Four in 2017. The Ducks are riding 6-foot-11 center N’Faly Dante, who has missed several months of the season following knee surgery but is averaging 16.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks when active. Senior guard Jermaine Couisnard spent four seasons with South Carolina before transferring, providing an interesting narrative.
Can Oregon capitalize down low?
The Gamecocks struggled against bigger teams at times this season and may have a hard time matching up with Dante. Oregon also starts 6-foot-9, 220-pound freshman Kwame Evans and brings 6-foot-10 senior Mahamadou Diawara off the bench. Dante is averaging 9.8 rebounds and shooting 87% from the floor over his last five outings.
South Carolina has played a disciplined game
South Carolina posted a 1.52 assist-to-turnover ratio this season and held opponents to a 1.17 assist-to-turnover ratio, both of which were among the top marks in the nation. The Gamecocks allowed 67 points per game and held opponents to 46.8% shooting inside the arc, so they can make it difficult for Oregon to score down low. The Gamecocks went 15-2 as favorites this season and were 12-1 outside of SEC play. They were also 7-1 with a rest advantage.
South Carolina vs. Oregon basketball odds and betting lines
South Carolina vs. Oregon injury report: Who’s out, who’s back
South Carolina guard Myles Stute (hip) returned from a multi-week absence on March 6 and is expected to be active in the first round. Oregon lost Nate Bittle and Keeshawn Barthelemy to season-ending injuries earlier this year but received a huge boost when Dante returned to action. Dante suffered a back injury in the Pac-12 semifinals against Arizona but was cleared for the Pac-12 championship.
