Gamecocks are dancing! South Carolina MBB’s first March Madness game vs. Oregon is set

Buckle up and get ready: March Madness has arrived for South Carolina.

The No. 15 Gamecocks (26-7) are in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament for the first time in seven years. No more what-if scenarios. No need to refresh the bracketology websites any longer.

South Carolina is on the 68-team bracket.

“I’m very excited,” USC’s BJ Mack said Sunday, beaming. “My first March Madness, so this is very exciting. I know the team is, too.”

Lamont Paris’ Gamecocks earned a No. 6 seed in the Pittsburgh regional and will face off with No. 11 seed Oregon (23-11) in the first round. South Carolina was the tournament’s No. 24 overall seed. The Gamecocks will play at 4 p.m. Thursday on TNT.

The game is part of the Midwest Region. The Ducks’ roster features former Gamecock Jermaine Couisnard. The other game in the grouping with USC is No. 3 Creighton (23-9) against No. 14 Akron (24-10).

The Gamecocks gathered at Home Team BBQ in Five Points for a private Selection Show party. There was a small sigh of relief across the team’s faces each time their name wasn’t called for the West Coast or far-away regional sites, including Spokane or Salt Lake City.

There won’t be a cross-country venture in South Carolina’s future. Instead, it’ll be a short plane ride up north. Plus it means there could be some more garnet and black in the PPG Arena.

“More fans the better, of course,” Mack said. “It just gives us that home feeling, and that’d be a really good perk for us and just have support.”

The moment Pittsburgh’s 6-seed slot appeared on bracket on TV, it was as if USC knew it was their moment.

Phones were up, recording the lead-up and explosion of joy that team felt. They’d been doubted all season. That moment was another sign that the Gamecocks continue to defy the expectations set in front of them back in November when they were predicted to finish last in the SEC.

Lamont Paris will be looking for his first career NCAA Tournament win as a head coach, making his second March Madness appearance in three years. He led Chattanooga to March Madness in 2022, losing by one point in the opening round to Illinois. He also coached that game in the Pittsburgh regional.

“I’m 0-1 as a head coach in Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament,” Paris said. “So we’ve gotta even the score out.”

Midwest region games

• No. 1. Purdue vs. No. 16 Montana State/Grambling State

• No. 2. Tennessee vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s

• No. 3. Creighton vs. No. 14 Akron

• No. 4. Kansas vs. No. 13 Samford

• No. 5 Gonzaga vs. No. 12 McNeese

• No. 6. South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oregon

• No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Virginia/Colorado State

• No. 8 Utah State vs. No. 9 TCU

Gamecocks’ March Madness resume

South Carolina was No. 51 in the latest NCAA NET rankings.

The Gamecocks were undefeated this season in Quad 2 and 4 games, 6-5 in Quad 1 games, and 6-2 against Quad 3 opponents. They had signature wins against Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and Grand Canyon, with key road victories against Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) factors in strength of schedule and the quality of a team’s victories and strength of schedule, among other things, as a metric the NCAA selection committee uses for Selection Sunday.

South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament

The Gamecocks’ last five March Madness appearances:

1989: No. 12 seed under coach George Felton — Lost 81-66 to N.C. State

1997: No. 2 seed under coach Eddie Fogler — Lost 78-65 to Coppin State

1998: No. 3 seed under Fogler — Lost 62-61 to Richmond

2004: No. 10 seed under coach Dave Odom — Lost 59-43 to Memphis

2017: No. 7 seed under coach Frank Martin — Defeated Marquette, Duke, Baylor and Florida before losing in the Final Four to Gonzaga.