NCAA Tournament: Oregon wins, Altman stays perfect and the second round awaits
Instant reaction to Oregon defeating South Carolina 87-73 in the first round of the NCAAs …
This was a stellar performance from the Ducks, who broke open a close game early in the second half and thumped the No. 6 seed in the Midwest region.
They were so good, in fact, that it’s worth wondering just how deep the Ducks can advance in March Madness.
They have four ingredients necessary for a deep tournament run:
*** An elite coach
Dana Altman continued his first-round perfection Thursday and is now 8-0 in the round of 64 during his long tenure in Eugene.
He has led the Ducks to the Sweet 16 five times, the Elite Eight twice and the Final Four once.
Few coaches in the tournament are more accomplished, and nobody will have a deeper history with an upcoming opponent.
The school standing between Altman and another trip to the Sweet 16 is his former employer, Creighton, where he won 327 games over 16 years.
*** A perimeter playmaker
Success in the NCAAs starts on the perimeter with elite playmakers.
Senior guard Jermaine Couisnard was brilliant on Thursday, scoring 40 points against his former team. And his efficiency was off the charts: Couisnard’s 40 points came on just 22 field goal attempts. He also had six assists and just one turnover.
Anytime South Carolina mustered the slightest bit of momentum, Couisnard answered — or set his teammates up for an answer.
His point total set an Oregon record in NCAA play and was one better than his season high of 39 points, set a few weeks ago against Arizona.
Couisnard has saved his best for the final stretch of his college career. He has the ball skills and shooting touch to score from anywhere and thus carve up any style of defense.
*** A dominant big man
Oregon center N’Faly Dante picked up in the NCAAs where he left off in the Pac-12 tournament, controlling the lane on both ends of the floor against the smaller Gamecocks.
In addition to scoring 23 points, Dante grabbed six rebounds, blocked two shots and altered numerous others.
His mere presence on the court forced the Gamecocks to veer from their normal style.
With Dante and Couisnard, the Ducks have an inside-outside tandem that will stress defenses on multiple levels.
*** Confidence
The college basketball postseason is a self-generating momentum machine.
The Ducks touched down in Las Vegas last week for the Pac-12 tournament having lost three of their previous five games and needing to claim the conference title in order to prolong their season.
Three wins in three days later, they were holding the Pac-12 trophy, back in the NCAAs for the first time since 2021 and oozing momentum.
After a doubt-digit victory over a higher seed on Thursday, Oregon is no longer hot — it’s sizzling.
But a challenge awaits in the second round, for Creighton can match the Ducks pillar for pillar.
The Bluejays have an elite coach in Greg McDermott, who replaced Altman upon the latter’s departure for Oregon in the spring of 2010.
They have a superb big man in 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbenner, who will make life difficult for Dante in ways few other players can.
And they have a first-rate playmaker on the perimeter in Baylor Scheierman.
At this point, doubting the Ducks is a risky game. Their duel with Creighton should be first-rate theatre. And the winner will be in prime position to win the Midwest.
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