Ducks Ready to Dance at NCAA Tournament

Friday, March 20

Austin, TX

10:30 a.m.

University of Oregon

Virginia Tech

The Oregon Ducks take on the Maryland Terrapins in game 7 of the 2026 Big10 Conference Basketball tournament at Gainbridge Field House in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 5, 2026 (Eric Evans Photography)

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

03/17/26 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

No. 8 seed Ducks take on ninth-seeded Virginia Tech Friday in Austin (10:30 a.m. PT, ESPN2).

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon women's basketball team earned its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance over the last nine tournaments, securing a No. 8 seed in the Fort Worth 3 Region with a matchup against ninth-seeded Virginia Tech at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Friday at 10:30 a.m. PT on ESPN2.

The Ducks have won 13 NCAA Tournament games since the 2017 tournament, reaching at least the Sweet Sixteen four times in their six previous appearances under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves.

Oregon and Virginia Tech have met just once previously, with the Ducks coming away with a 73-53 win in Eugene back on Nov. 27, 1999. A season ago, UO advanced to the second round of the tournament as a No. 10 seed after defeating Vanderbilt in the first round in overtime, 77-73.

GAME #35– NCAA TOURNAMENT (FIRST ROUND)
(8) Oregon (22-12) vs. (9) Virginia Tech (23-9)
Friday, March 20 | 10:30 a.m. PT | Moody Center (Austin, Texas)
TV: ESPN2
Play-by-play: Dave O'Brien | Analyst: Jimmy Dykes
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUGN 98.1 FM | ESPN Portland 910 AM)
Play-by-play: Chris Clayton
Listen Online | Live Stats

A WIN WOULD…
» Advance the Ducks to the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Sunday.
» Be Oregon's 19th NCAA Tournament win in program history, improving its all-time tournament record to 19-18.
» Advance the Ducks to the second round of the tournament for the second straight season and 11th time in program history.
» Be 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves' 14th NCAA Tournament win in his UO tenure.
» Improve the Ducks' neutral record to 5-2 and 11-7 in all games away from home.
» Mark the seventh time in the last eight NCAA Tournament appearances with at least one victory.
» Be UO's second win all-time against Virginia Tech and give the Ducks a 2-0 lead in the all-time series.» Be UO's first win over a top-10 team since defeating No. 9 UConn on Jan. 17, 2022.

NCAA TOURNEY QUICK HITS
» Seventh tournament bid in last nine tournaments
» Second consecutive tournament bid (reached second round last season)
» 19th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance
» Seventh NCAA Tournament bid under Graves
» Won at least one game in six of the last seven tournament appearances
» Reached one Final Four, three Elite Eights and four Sweet Sixteens under Graves
» Ducks are 13-6 in the NCAA Tournament in Graves' tenure
» First time being a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament
» 18-18 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament
» Graves earns his 15th career NCAA Tournament bid

SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH
Ninth-seeded Virginia Tech (23-9) is making its 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2024 after finishing in a fifth-place tie in the ACC standings at 12-6.

The Hokies reached the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament before falling to 16th-ranked North Carolina, snapping a three-game winning streak. VT closed the regular season by winning five of its last seven games and 12 of the final 16 overall. Virginia Tech boasts a 7-3 true road record, including a 7-2 road mark in ACC play, while going 9-5 in all games away from home this season.

Forward Carys Baker and guard Carleigh Wenzel were both named to the all-ACC second team, as the duo accounted for 44 percent of VT's offensive output in conference play. The pair are the only Hokies averaging double-figure points, with Wenzel leading her team with 15.3 a game while Baker adds 14.1 points and 6.7 boards a night. Mackenzie Nelson ranks seventh nationally with her 2.67 assist-to-turnover ratio and is second in the ACC at 5.7 assists per game.

As a team, Virginia Tech leads the ACC in free throw attempts and free throws made per game, while ranking second with a plus-4.53 turnover margin.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Friday's first-round matchup will be just the second-ever meeting between Oregon and Virginia Tech, and first since Nov. 27, 1999. The Ducks and Hokies met in an early-season nonconference tilt in Eugene, with the then-16th-ranked Ducks taking down then-No. 21 Virginia Tech, 73-53. After facing Duke a season ago in the tournament, VT will be the sixth ACC foe UO will face in the NCAA Tournament under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves.

DANCING DUCKS
The Ducks have experienced their highest level of success in the NCAA Tournament under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves. Graves has now led UO to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, all coming over the last nine tournaments, while
going 13-6 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 owns 13 of the Ducks' 18 all-time tournament victories, all coming since 2017. The 13 tournament victories are tied for 12th-most nationally since the 2016-17 season, and tied for third-most among current Big Ten members during that span.

» The Ducks played 11 teams that made this year's tournament field (14 games), winning five times.
» In his 29th season as a Division I head coach, Graves earns his 15th career NCAA Tournament bid (seventh at UO).
» As a 10 seed last season, Oregon was one of just two double-digit seeds to advance out of the first round with its 77-73 overtime win over seventh-seeded Vanderbilt. The win marked Graves' 10th as a double-digit seed in his coaching career, the most among active Division I head coaches.
» Oregon brings back nine returners that were part of last season's NCAA Tournament team that reached the second round.
» Over the two games, Sofia Bell averaged 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while recording four steals while Katie Fiso put up 4.0 points with a pair of steals as a freshman.
» Muhammad was a part of Texas' Elite Eight team in 2023-24, with the Longhorns earning their first No. 1 seed since 2004.
» Over four games in that season's tournament, Muhammad averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds over 12.0 minutes a game.
» She has now played in eight career postseason games, including a second-round run while with Texas in 2023 and with the Ducks a season ago.
» Sophomore Avary Cain was part of UCLA's Final Four team last year, but did not appear in any of the Bruins' five postseason contests.
» Senior guard Astera Tuhina was a freshman on Washington State's 2023 Pac-12 Tournament champion squad, where the Cougars earned a No. 5 seed but were upset by 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast in the first round. Tuhina scored nine points with six assists and four rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench.
» With the exception of UO's two freshmen (Sara Barhoum, Janiyah Williams), the only player on Oregon's roster without an NCAA Tournament appearance is senior Mia Jacobs, who spent the last two seasons at Fresno State after a freshman season at La Salle.

CARDIAC DUCKS
Oregon has been no stranger to close games this season. The Ducks have played 10 games that have been decided by five points or less after its 73-68 win over Maryland on March 5 at the Big Ten Tournament. Oregon has played 15 "clutch games" - games that are within five points with five minutes or less to play - this season, including six of its last eight games. Since the start of last season, Oregon has played 29 clutch games, winning 16 of them. After a 80-76 comeback win over Nebraska on Feb. 19, UO has produced three double-digit comeback wins, equaling the most in a season under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves.

At then-No. 21 USC on Jan. 6, Oregon overcame a 16-point halftime deficit to upset the Trojans on their home floor 71-66. Junior guard Ari Long went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc over the game's final 2:43 to erase a six-point hole and finish the game on a 14-0 run. The comeback victory tied for the second-largest halftime deficit overcome under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves, tying a 16-point comeback at USC back on Jan. 13, 2017. Trailing at one point by 17 in the third quarter, it was the largest comeback win since the 2021-22 season against Arizona.

» Six of the Ducks' last eight games have been clutch games, while 13 of the 15 games that have been within five points with five minutes or fewer remaining this season have come against Big Ten opponents.
» Oregon produced its third comeback victory of at least 10 points against Nebraska, as the Ducks trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half and 11 points in the fourth quarter. The three double-digit comeback wins tie the most in a single season under head coach Kelly Graves.
» The Ducks went on a 15-2 run over a 4:30 stretch that flipped a 10-point hole into a three-point lead. Guard Katie Fiso closed the game by scoring 10 of Oregon's final 14 points over the game's final 3:40.
» On Feb. 4 against Illinois, the Ducks saw their 21-point halftime lead disappear in the second half, trailing by as many as eight in the fourth quarter before rallying to win 76-73.
» Down one with eight seconds to go, Fiso hit a driving layup to take a 74-73 lead, and later knocked down two free throws with a second on the clock to salt away the Ducks' smallest margin of victory of the season.
» The win against the Trojans marked the second double-digit comeback win of the season after Oregon trailed by 14 points at Auburn on Nov. 30, outscoring the Tigers 34-20 in the second half.
» The double-OT game against Michigan was the first time the Ducks have gone into double overtime since the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament against Belmont on March 19, 2022. UO has played two double-overtime contests this season (at Wisconsin).
» This marks the first season with multiple double-overtime games played since 2021-22, when UO played two over the season's final five games. Oregon played three games that season that went into an extra period, going 1-2.
» Over the last two seasons, the Ducks have participated in 20 games that have been decided by five points or fewer, going 12-8 in those tilts with five wins coming away from home.
» The 10 games decided by five points or fewer are the most such games in the Big Ten this season. Since joining the Big Ten last season, the Ducks have played a league-leading 20 games decided by five points or less, six more than the next closest.
» UO's 15 games decided by single digits this season are tied for the most in the Big Ten.
» A season ago, UO went 9-5 in clutch games, winning six straight at one point, while going 5-0 in games decided by two points or less and 7-1 in games decided by four points or less.

OFF AND RUNNING
Oregon began the 2025-26 season 10-0 for just the third time in program history before suffering its first loss of the season on Dec. 7 at then-No. 4 UCLA. It marked the first 10-0 start since beginning the 2015-16 season 11-0, and the second 10-0 start or better under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves. The Ducks' 12-1 start was its best 13-game start since the 2019-20 season, and the third 12-1 start or better under Graves. UO's offense has scored 80 or more points 15 times, including five straight to begin the season - its longest streak to open a season since seven straight such games to open the 2019-20 season. UO's scoring offense of 74.7 points per game ranks 43rd nationally and 10th in the Big Ten.

Seven different Ducks have led or tied for the team lead in scoring, with 11 different players producing a double-digit scoring performance. Four times this season five different players finished in double figures, most recently on Dec. 18 in win over Portland: Mia Jacobs (21), Amina Muhammad (12), Avary Cain (11), Sarah Rambus (11) and Katie Fiso (10). Five of the 11 players with a double-figure scoring game did so coming off the bench (Avary Cain, Ehis Etute, Muhammad, Astera Tuhina and Janiyah Williams).

» Oregon's offensive rating of 101.4 (points per 100 possessions) ranks 11th in the Big Ten while averaging 72.8 possessions per 40 minutes (sixth in the Big Ten). UO had an offensive rating of 96.0 with an average of 70.2 possessions per 40 minutes last year.
» The 2.6 increase in pace is the second-largest improvement in the Big Ten from a season ago while its increase in scoring offense of 6.7 points per game ranks as the third-best improvement.
» The 15 80-point outings are the most since posting 25 such games in 2019-20, and the fourth-most under Graves during his UO tenure.
» UO's field goal percentage of 45.2 is No. 34 in the country, with its 50.5 percent on two-point shots ranking 11th in the conference. The Ducks' field goal percentage is on pace for their highest efficiency since a program-record 50.9 percent in 2019-20.
» The Ducks' bench is averaging 21.8 points per game, good for sixth in the Big Ten, scoring 32 points against Washington on March 1 - their eighth 30-point outing of the season.
» UO's 17.0 assists per game are good for 28th nationally, posting an assisted shot rate of 61.6 percent (sixth in the Big Ten).
» The Ducks' assisted shot rate has jumped by 6.9 percent from 2024-25, the third-largest leap from last season in the Big Ten.
» The Ducks are fifth in the Big Ten and No. 19 in the country in free throw shooting (77.6 percent), while their 1.13 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 44th nationally. UO's free throw percentage would set the single-season program record, which was set during the 2019-20 season at 77.3 percent.

DUCK DEFENSE
Oregon's suffocating defense, a chief reason for Oregon's success a season ago, is back again this year. The Ducks have forced at least 20 turnovers 15 times and recorded double-digit steals in 20 of 34 contests this season. The 20 games with 10 or more steals are tied for the 20th-most in the country, and third-most in the Big Ten, while the 15 20-turnover games are good for No. 4 in the conference. In 15 games this season, UO's defense has recorded double-digit steals while forcing 20 or more turnovers - tied for the third-most such games in the Big Ten.

» The 20 games with double-digit steals are already the most in a season under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves, and equal the most in a single season since at least 1999 (also done during the 2010-11 season).
» Oregon's 10.3 steals per game rank fourth in the Big Ten and 47th in the country, and would be its highest average per game since posting 10.3 steals a game in 2011-12. The 10.3 steals a game would be seventh-most in a season in UO history.
» The Ducks' defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) is 87.2, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten.
» Oregon is recording a steal on 12.2 percent of opponent possessions, which is the fourth-highest rate in the Big Ten and 49th-best in the nation. It marks UO's highest steal rate since at least 2009-10 and 0.6 percent higher than the next highest (11.6 percent in 2019-20).
» Opposing teams are turning the ball over on 21.7 percent of its possessions, the Ducks' highest forced turnover rate since at least 2009-10 and the sixth-best rate in the conference this season.
» Opponents are shooting just 28.4 percent from the 3-point line this season, while limiting teams to 22.0 percent over three games at the Big Ten Tournament. UO's 3-point percentage defense ranks second in the Big Ten and would equal its lowest percentage allowed since at least 1999 (also done in 2019-20).

GO, FISO, GO
Sophomore point guard Katie Fiso has stepped into the Ducks' lead guard spot this season, as she takes over after the departures of graduate guards Deja Kelly and Peyton Scott. Fiso, who was the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington her senior season, got her first career start in the season opener against West Georgia on Nov. 3 and turned in her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 assists - without a turnover. She produced her first 20-point scoring effort while handing out 10 assists against Grand Canyon on Nov. 11 and has since recorded points-assists double-doubles against Army (12 points, 10 assists), Saint Mary's (15 points, 10 assists), Oregon State (23 points, 14 assists), Portland (10 points, 11 assists) and Penn State (15 points, 10 assists). She set a career high with 27 points against Washington on March 1 and now owns a team-best nine 20-point games this season.

Against Oregon State on Dec. 3, Fiso turned in one of the best games of her career with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go with a career-high 14 assists. Her 14 assists equaled the second-highest assist total in a game in program history, and were three shy of Sabrina Ionescu's record of 17 set in 2018. The 14 assists are tied for the second-most in a game by any player in the Big Ten, while there have been just 10 games nationally this season where someone produced at least 14 assists.

» Fiso leads the Ducks with 15.3 points per game after averaging just 3.1 a game last season. Her increase of 12.2 points per game is the second-highest improvement from a season ago among players in the Big Ten (20th-highest nationally).
» Her 215 total assists this season are already fourth-most in a single season in program history, as she surpassed Ionescu's 183 assists she recorded in her freshman season. Fiso's 6.3 assists per game rank as the fifth-highest average in a season in UO history.
» Fiso's nine 20-point games are 10th-most in the league among Big Ten guards.
» Her seven points-assists double-doubles this season are tied for second-most in the nation, while only 11 players in the country have more than two points-assists double-doubles.
» There have been 16 points-assists double-doubles in the Big Ten this season, with Fiso accounting for seven of them and the only player with more than three.
» Led (or tied) UO in assists in 32 of 34 outings this season and ranks second in the Big Ten at 6.3 assists a night (eighth nationally).
» On Dec. 8, Fiso earned her second selection to the Big Ten's weekly honor roll after averaging 18.5 points and 10.5 assists.
» Fiso is one of three players in the country averaging at least 6.3 assists and shooting 45.0 percent or better from the floor, and the only player in the Big Ten.

EHIS THE BEAST
Sophomore Ehis Etute has tapped into her raw potential in her second season in Eugene. The Luxembourg product has scored in double figures in 15 of her last 18 games, including six 20-point efforts over her last 11 contests. Etute logged a career-best 27 points and 17 rebounds on Feb. 22 at Indiana, becoming the first player in the Big Ten this season with a 27-point, 17-rebound performance - and just the 10th such game in the country. In UO's win at No. 16 Maryland on Jan. 31, she scored a then-career-best 26 points to go with 11 board and was tabbed Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 2, becoming the first Duck to earn the weekly honor after averaging 21.5 points and 10.0 rebounds during the week.

» Etute enters the NCAA Tournament having turned in four straight double-doubles, with three coming at the Big Ten Tournament, and now leads the team with 10 double-doubles on the season. She has carded five double-doubles over her last six games and six in her last 11 games overall.
» Etute produced consecutive games with 20 or more points twice over a six-game span after her 27-point effort at Indiana. All six of her career 20-point outings have come over the last 11 games.
» Etute's career rebounding effort against the Hoosiers included 11 offensive boards, the most of any player in the Big Ten this season and tied for the 10th-highest offensive rebound total in the country this season. It is just the fifth time a Duck has registered 11 offensive boards in a single game since 2009-10.
» With 11 points and 12 rebounds against Minnesota, Etute turned in a double-double in back-to-back games for the first time in her career. Nine of her 10 double-doubles this season have come over her last 18 games, while she was one rebound shy of a double-double at Rutgers and against Illinois, and one point away from another against Penn State in that stretch.
» Etute leads the Big Ten with 8.9 rebounds per game, total rebounds at 294 and in offensive rebounds per game at 4.1. During conference play, Etute averaged 9.7 boards a night, good for No. 2 in the conference.
» Over her last 10 games, she is averaging a team-high 17.3 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 50.0 percent.
» Etute has led or tied UO in rebounding in 26 of 33 games in which she has played this season and has finished as the team leader 30 times in her career, including in 11 straight games and in 17 of her last 18 games overall.
» Etute boasts a total rebounding rate of 21.4 percent, the second-highest rate in the Big Ten and 12th-highest rate in the country among players averaging at least 15.0 minutes per game, while her offensive rebounding rate of 20.2 percent is tops in the Big Ten and second nationally among those players.

RING THE BELL
Junior guard Sofia Bell is a phenom on the court and in the classroom. Bell earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon after only two years and is already enrolled in an MBA program at UO. On the basketball court, she is a disruptor to opposing offenses and has developed into a knock-down 3-point shooter. The 6-foot Bell leads Oregon with 60 made 3-pointres while ranking second on the team in blocks (21) and steals (58), recording at least one steal in 30 of 34 games this season, including a career-best stretch of 13 consecutive games with a theft from Dec. 18-Feb. 4. Bell has registered at least one steal in 63 of her 83 career games (75.9 percent), while finishing with multiple steals 33 times, with a career-high five steals coming at Purdue on Feb. 25. Twenty-one of her 38 career blocks have come this season after having just three over 28 games last year.

On the offensive end, she is shooting 36.4 percent from behind the 3-point line (60-of-165) - up from 29.7 percent from a season ago - and has almost doubled her career output in made threes after having 61 total over her first two collegiate seasons. She had a career day against No. 15 Michigan State on Jan. 11, going 6-of-8 from downtown on her way to a career-high 18 points. Bell went 4-for-4 from deep in the first quarter against the Spartans in making a career-best six made 3-pointers. Bell produced her 18th game this season with multiple 3-pointers against Michigan in UO's last game at the Big Ten Tournament on March 6, knocking down aa pair of triples. Her 15 points against Montana State on Dec. 14 marked the first time in her career she led the Ducks in scoring, becoming the seventh different player to lead UO in points this season. Bell is one of two players in the Big Ten, and one of just 20 players in the nation, to have at least 21 blocks while making at least 60 3-pointers.