Sweet Sixteen at Stake in Durham

DURHAM, N.C. — After a dramatic overtime victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Oregon women's basketball team is set to take on No. 2 seed and host Duke in the second round on Sunday at 9 a.m. PT at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

UO is making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance over the last eight tournaments and 18th in program history. The Ducks' 77-73 overtime win over No. 7 seed Vanderbilt marked the 13th NCAA Tournament win since 2017 and first since 2021.

Oregon and Duke have met just one time, also in the round of 32 in a 2-10 matchup in Durham, where the Ducks upset the Blue Devils 74-65 to advance to their first-ever Sweet Sixteen.

GAME #32 – NCAA TOURNAMENT (Second Round)
(10) Oregon (20-11) at (2) #7 Duke (27-7)
Sunday, March 23 | 9 a.m. PT | Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, N.C.)
Watch: ESPN | ESPN app
Play-by-play: Jenn Hildreth| Analyst: Kelly Gramlich
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (Eugene: KUJZ 95.3 FM | Portland: KPAM 860 AM)
Play-by-play: Chris Clayton
Listen Online | Live Stats

a win would...
» Be the Ducks' fifth Sweet Sixteen appearance in program history, and first since 2021.
» Be the eighth time head coach Kelly Graves has reached the Sweet Sixteen in his coaching career.
» Be Oregon's 19th NCAA Tournament win in program history, improving its record to 19-17.
» Give UO a 5-5 record in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and 7-3 mark as a No. 10 seed.
» Give Oregon its third ranked win of the season and second true road win over a top-25 team.
» Be the Ducks' first top-10 road win since defeating No. 4 Stanford on Feb. 24, 2020.

NCAA TOURNEY QUICK HITS
» 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, and first since the 2021-22 season.
» Sixth bid in the last eight tournaments, all under 11th-year head coach Kelly Graves.
» 18-17 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, with a 13-5 mark under Graves.
» 13 wins since 2017 are tied for 11th-most in the nation and tied for second-most among current Big Ten members.
» Secured a No. 10 seed for the fourth time in program history, winning its first-round game all four times as a 10-seed.
» Graves is 10-7 in his coaching career as a double-digit seed, reaching the Elite Eight twice and Sweet Sixteen once.
» Graves' 10 wins as a double-digit seed are most among active Division I head coaches.
» Looking to win multiple games in the tournament for the fifth time in its last six appearances.

SCOUTING DUKE
Duke (27-7, 14-4) is riding a seven-game winning streak after defeating Lehigh 86-25 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Blue Devils won three straight games in Greensboro to claim the ACC tournament crown, with Oluchi Okananwa being named tournament MVP.

Okananwa (10.3 PPG) is one of three Blue Devils to average double-figure points, being led by 13.4 points a night from Toby Fournier while getting 12.3 a game from Ashlon Jackson.

Fournier was tabbed ACC Freshman of the Year in addition to being an all-ACC first-team and all-freshman team pick. Jackson was an all-league second-team selection and Jadyn Donovan was named to the ACC all-defensive team.

As a team, Duke paces the ACC in bench points per game (32.5), offensive rebounds per game (14.9), scoring defense (57.2), turnovers forced per game (20.8) and turnover margin (plus-5.8).

INSIDE THE SERIES
The only other time Oregon and Duke have faced off came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Cameron Indoor Stadium back in 2017, when the 10th-seeded Ducks upended ninth-ranked and second-seeded Duke 74-65 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the game, freshman Ruthy Hebard put up 20 points and 15 rebounds while fellow freshman Sabrina Ionescu scored 13 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists. The win propelled the Ducks to their first-ever Sweet Sixteen and was the first of three consecutive Elite Eight appearances under head coach Kelly Graves.

OREGON VS. RANKED TEAMS
Sunday's game will mark Oregon's seventh against a ranked opponent this season, with all seven being ranked 16th or better. On Jan. 30, the Ducks defeated then-16th-ranked Michigan State on the road 63-59 and are 2-5 this season against top-25 foes. The win was UO's first road win over a ranked team since defeating No. 15 Oregon State on Dec. 13, 2020, and it was the first road win over a ranked team by an unranked Oregon team since defeating No. 9 Duke in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, 74-65.

Against ranked teams this year, Deja Kelly is averaging a team-high 12.0 points per game while also turning in 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Oregon has held ranked teams to just 68.2 points per game over six contests. UO is 1-1 away from home against ranked teams this season and also defeated then-No. 12 Baylor 76-74 at home. The Ducks' last road win against a top-10 team came against No. 4 Stanford on Feb. 24, 2020 (76-66). With a win, the three ranked wins would be the most by the Ducks in a single season since winning 12 in 2019-20.

DANCING DUCKS
The Ducks have experienced their highest level of success in the NCAA Tournament under 11th-year head coach Kelly Graves. Graves has now led UO to six NCAA Tournament appearances, all coming over the last eight tournaments, while going 13-5 in the tournament in his UO tenure. Under Graves, Oregon has reached one Final Four, two Elite Eights and one Sweet Sixteen - winning multiple tournament games in four straight seasons (2017-21). Graves now owns 13 of the Ducks' 18 all-time tournament victories, all coming since 2017. The 13 tournament victories are tied for 11th-most since the 2016-17 season, and tied for second-most among current Big Ten members.

In Graves' first trip to the NCAA Tournament with Oregon, his 2016-17 squad earned a 10-seed and was sent to Durham, N.C. There, the Ducks took down seventh-seeded Temple before upsetting host and No. 2 seed Duke in the second round on their way to the program's first-ever Elite Eight - and first of three consecutive Elite Eight appearances. This tournament marks the fourth time UO has been a 10-seed, and it has now advanced past the first round game in all four times while sporting a 6-3 record as a No. 10 seed all-time.

» The Ducks played 15 teams that made this year's tournament field (17 games), winning six times.
» In his 28th season as a Division I head coach, Graves earned his 14th career NCAA Tournament bid (sixth at UO).
» Graves boasts a 10-7 career record as a double-digit seed in the postseason, the most such wins among all active Division I head coaches.
» While at Gonzaga, Graves reached the Elite Eight as an 11-seed in 2011 and the Sweet Sixteen the following season as an 11-seed, while also advancing to the second round in 2009 as a No. 12 seed.
» Oregon features just four players have been part of NCAA Tournament teams in guard Nani Falatea, guard Deja Kelly, center Phillipina Kyei and forward Amina Muhammad.
» Falatea, as a freshman in 2022 with BYU, saw four minutes and attempted just one field goal in the Cougars' 61-57 first-round loss to 11th-seeded Villanova.
» Kelly led North Carolina to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in her four seasons in Chapel Hill, guiding the Tar Heels to the Sweet Sixteen in 2022.
» In eight previous career postseason games, she averaged 16.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 36.3 percent from the field.
» Muhammad was part of Texas' Elite Eight team a season ago, with the Longhorns earning their first No. 1 seed since 2004.
» Over four games in last year's tournament, Muhammad averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds over 12.0 minutes a game.
» Kyei is the only holdover on Oregon's roster from its last trip to the NCAA Tournament. In her freshman season, UO was a No. 5 seed in the 2022 tournament but did not play in the Ducks' double-overtime loss to Belmont in the first round.
» Eleven Ducks will be experiencing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their respective careers.

CLUTCH DUCKS
The Ducks are no strangers to close games this season. Oregon's 68-67 comeback win over Washington on Feb. 12 marked UO's fifth victory by two points or less this season, with the Ducks going unbeaten in those games. UO trailed by five at halftime and by as many as eight points in the game, as it has trailed at the half in three of its last six wins. The Ducks' 77-73 overtime win was their first overtime win of the season and first in NCAA Tournament history. UO improved to 7-1 in games decided by four points or fewer.

» The five wins in games decided by two points or less are most in the nation, while the five two-point games are one shy of the national lead of six.
» The five such victories are Oregon's most since at least 2009-10.
» Additionally, the Ducks are 7-1 in games decided by four points or less, with UO's 94-90 overtime loss at Nebraska on Feb. 19 standing as its only loss in those games.
» Oregon has won its last seven games decided by two points or less dating back to the 2022-23 season, and eight of the last nine such games going back to 2021-22.
» UO has played 13 "clutch games" (games within five points with 5:00 or less to play) and won nine of those, having won seven of the last nine such games after Friday's victory.
» In those 13 clutch games, guard Deja Kelly leads the Ducks with 15.6 points - up from her season average of 11.9.
» Seven of Kelly's eight 20-point outings have come in those games, and has scored 20 or more in each of the last five clutch games, including her team-high 20 points against Vanderbilt.
» Nani Falatea averages 8.6 points and Peyton Scott 8.2 points in clutch games. Phillipina Kyei averages 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 51.8 percent from the floor in clutch games while producing five double-figure scoring performances.