For the first time since the 2020-21 season, the Oregon Ducks are headed to the NCAA Tournament. The road to the Big Dance wasn’t smooth for Oregon, but it persevered and won the games that mattered most. The Ducks ended a magical run in dramatic fashion on Saturday night with a Pac-12 championship, beating the Colorado Buffaloes to clinch a tournament berth.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Ducks are a No. 11 seed, matching up with No. 6 South Carolina. Oregon’s first-round matchup (and second-round matchup if it wins the first game) will be in Pittsburgh. Other teams in the same region include Purdue (No. 1), Gonzaga (No. 5) and Kansas (No. 4).
South Carolina shattered all preseason expectations. Some polls picked the Gamecocks to finish last in the SEC, but they ended up tying for second place in the conference.
One storyline to pay attention to in this matchup is Jermaine Couisnard. The sixth-year point guard has played his last two seasons at Oregon, but he played his first four seasons at South Carolina.
The Ducks’ first game will be on Thursday. If they win, they’ll play their second-round game on Saturday, also in Pittsburgh.