Despite trailing by five, South Carolina went into halftime of today’s NCAA Tournament first round game on a high note.
That’s because guard Ta’Lon Cooper hit from beyond halfcourt as time expired to trim Oregon’s lead to 34-29.
Making the feat even better was how coolly he pulled it off, barely breaking stride as he jogged to the locker room.
TA’LON COOPER BEATS THE BUZZER FROM HALF-COURT 👀#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/tuwJkiR04v
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2024
Cooper, who came into today averaging 9.7 points per game, has already hit that mark. He’s got 10 points early in the second half on 4-of-7 shooting and 2-of-4 from three-point range.
That’s part of the good news for the Gamecocks. The bad news is they have been unable to contend with Oregon’s inside-outside duo of N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisinard, who have produced 37 total points, including 21 from Cousinard.
Oregon leads South Carolina 51-37 with 14:44 to play over on TNT. The Ducks came into the tournament red-hot, having won the Pac-12 Tournament to clinch their NCAA bid.
The No. 11 seed in the Midwest, Oregon would advance to play Creighton, who took down Akron this afternoon, in Saturday’s second round.