South-Carolina
Oregon vs South Carolina picks, predictions, odds: Who wins March Madness game?
March Madness 2024: Tips to help you fill out your NCAA tournament bracket
March Madness is finally here and Mackenzie Salmon has tips to help you fill out your NCAA tournament bracket.
No. 11 seed Oregon and No. 6 seed South Carolina play Thursday, March 21 in an NCAA Tournament first-round game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Midwest Region game is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT and can be seen on TNT (stream with Sling TV).
Who will win the March Madness game and advance to the second round?
Check out these NCAA Tournament first-round picks and predictions for the men’s college basketball matchup.
South Carolina is a 1.5-point favorite in the game in March Madness odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Gamecocks are -110 on the moneyline. The Ducks are also -110.
The over/under for the game is set at 132.5 points.
IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s basketball tournament bracket contests for a chance at $1 million prize
Scott Keepfer writes: “The Gamecocks have been a tough out this season and the belief here is that they’ll be the same on Thursday.”
March Madness TV schedule: Television channels, streaming, how to watch NCAA Tournament
DraftKings: Bet Oregon to beat South Carolina in NCAA Tournament
Grace McDermott writes: “With Dante healthy and back in his rhythm, the Pac-12 champs are primed for a classic March upset here. The Ducks heated up in the conference tournament while South Carolina saw an early exit in a bad loss. The two teams are fairly evenly matched at KenPom, so take the one with more momentum.”
It writes: “South Carolina has covered 23 times in 33 chances against the spread this season. Oregon has compiled a 16-18-0 record against the spread this year. The 72.0 points per game the Gamecocks put up are just 0.1 more points than the Ducks allow (71.9).”
March Madness game odds: Point spreads, moneylines, over/unders for NCAA Tournament 2024
Action Network: Take Oregon with the points against South Carolina
Sean Paul writes: “Getting the ball inside to N’Faly Dante has proven to be a successful strategy. He went off for 25 points on 12-for-12 shooting against Colorado. South Carolina could struggle to stop the 6-foot-11, 230-pound phenom. The opening line is closer than you’d expect from a 6 vs. 11 matchup with South Carolina favored by just 1.5 points. I’m backing the Ducks here – it feels like an outstanding spot for a surging team.”
ESPN: South Carolina has a 54.6% chance to beat Oregon in March Madness
The site gives the Ducks a 45.4% shot at defeating the Gamecocks in Thursday’s first-round March Madness NCAA Tournament game.
March Madness NCAA Tournament odds: Who is favored to win 2024 national championship?
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STREAM THE GAME: Watch Oregon vs. South Carolina live with Sling TV
BEST BETS: These are the best Arizona college basketball betting sites
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
His coverage metrics in 2025 were very solid, as on 65 targets, he allowed 34 receptions (52.3%) for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns. He picked up 2 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, 54 total tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 694 total snaps this season. Throughout the combine, he ended up performing well in pretty much every drill, which bodes well for his ability to translate to the NFL. If the Saints are looking to add someone with slot experience already, Kilgore may be one of the best options available.
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