Oregon Ducks star Jermaine Couisnard was playing with a chip on his shoulder on Thursday. The 6-foot-4 guard faced off against his former team, the South Carolina Gamecocks, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and Couisnard was eager to prove to South Carolina what they have been missing.
He did just that by exploding for 40 points and leading the No. 11 Ducks to an 87-73 victory over the No. 6 Gamecocks.
Oregon Ducks’ Jermaine Couisnard Erupts for 40 Points Vs. South Carolina
Couisnard was a man on a mission on Thursday and he made sure to steal the show with his amazing performance for Oregon. The 25-year-old went off for a game-high 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting. He went 5-of-9 from deep, while also knocking down all seven of his attempts from the charity stripe.
Couisnard capped off his epic performance by adding four rebounds, six assists, a steal, and just one turnover.
Unsurprisingly, Couisnard was able to make all sorts of history with his strong showing against his former team. The senior now holds the record for the most points ever scored by an Oregon player in the NCAA Tournament:
Jermaine Couisnard against his former team:
40 PTS
6 AST
5-9 3PThe most points ever by a Duck in the tournament. pic.twitter.com/QzGRhUhGco
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 21, 2024
Couisnard also entered the same territory with Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry with his offensive onslaught on Thursday:
Jermaine Couisnard is the first player to score 40 points for a double-digit seed since Davidson's Stephen Curry in 2008 😮 pic.twitter.com/vEjZO5DreR
— ESPN (@espn) March 21, 2024
After the game, Couisnard just had to send a special shoutout to his grandma, who was in attendance to witness greatness unfold on Thursday:
"This is my grandma's first game here this season. I knew I had to make a sacrifice for her. Just one day, that's all I dreamed of for her to come to one of my games."
— Jermaine Couisnard on his grandmother after seeing him score an @OregonMBB record-setting 40 points 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nLv5AR9iJK
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2024
Couisnard and the Ducks are now set to face Creighton in the second round on Saturday.
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