EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon women's basketball team is set for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as the 10th-seeded Ducks will take on No. 7 seed Vanderbilt in the Birmingham 2 Region at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., on Friday at 2:30 p.m. PT.
The bid marks UO's sixth over the last eight tournaments, and 18th in program history. The Ducks have won 12 NCAA Tournament games since the 2017 tournament, reaching at least the Sweet Sixteen four times in their five previous appearances under head coach Kelly Graves.
Oregon and Vanderbilt have met twice previously, with the Commodores holding a 2-0 lead in the all-time series. The sides last met in Eugene during the 1994-95 season.
GAME #31 – NCAA TOURNAMENT (First Round) (10) Oregon (19-11, 10-8) vs. (7) Vanderbilt (22-10, 8-8) Friday, March 21 | 2:30 p.m. PT | Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, N.C.) Watch: ESPNews | ESPN app Play-by-play: Jenn Hildreth| Analyst: Kelly Gamlich 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... » Give Oregon its eighth 20-win season in 11 years under head coach Kelly Graves, and first since 2022-23. » Be Oregon's 18th NCAA Tournament win in program history, improving its record to 18-17. » Be the Ducks' first NCAA Tournament win since 2021 when they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. » Be UO's first neutral-site win of the season. » Give Oregon a win in the first round as a 10-seed for the fourth time. » Snap a two-game skid overall and three-game losing streak away from home.
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. » 17-17 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, with a 12-5 mark under Graves. » 12 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 each of the previous three times as a 10-seed. » Graves is 9-7 in his coaching career as a double-digit seed, reaching the Elite Eight twice and Sweet Sixteen once. » Graves' nine wins as a double-digit seed are most among active Division I head coaches. » Looking to advance out of the first round of the tournament for the 10th time in program history.
SCOUTING VANDERBILT Vanderbilt (22-10, 8-8) finished the regular season in a tie for eighth in the SEC standings and reached the quarterfinals of the conference tournament before falling to eventual champion South Carolina. The Commodores have won three of their last four games, including an 84-76 win over then-No. 20 Tennessee in the SEC Tournament.
The Commodores are led by freshman sensation Mikayla Blakes, who took home SEC Freshman of the Year honors in addition to all-SEC first team and all-SEC freshman accolades. Blakes leads all freshmen nationally at 23.2 points per game - the only freshman in the country to average above 20.0 points a game.
In addition to Blakes, Vanderbilt features another 20-point scorer in Khamil Pierre (20.5 PPG), while Iyana Moore rounds out three in double figures at 12.6 points a night.
As a team, the Commodores lead the SEC in free throw shooting (78.4 percent) and steals per game (12.4) and have the nation's seventh-highest scoring offense at 83.6 points.
INSIDE THE SERIES Oregon and Vanderbilt have met just twice previously, with the Commodores winning both contests. The teams last played during the 1994-95 season with then-ninth-ranked Vanderbilt winning 82-54 in Eugene. Friday's game will be the first between the teams in the postseason and first on a neutral floor.
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 12-5 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 owns 12 of the Ducks' 17 all-time tournament victories, all coming since 2017. The 12 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, winning its first-round game in all three of its previous three tournaments and sporting a 5-3 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 earns his 14th career NCAA Tournament bid (sixth at UO). » Graves boasts a 9-7 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 career postseason games, she has 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 a 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. » She has played in six career postseason games after Texas qualified for the Round of 32 in 2023. » 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 five wins. The Ducks trailed by 10 points at half against Iowa on Jan. 19 and by three against Indiana on Jan. 24. The Ducks trailed by multiple possessions in each of their last five wins: 15 points against the Hawkeyes, 10 against the Hoosiers, eight points against the Huskies, nine at Minnesota and five vs. Rutgers.
» 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 6-1 in games decided by four points or less, with three of those wins coming in January. UO's 94-90 overtime loss at Nebraska on Feb. 19 stands as its only loss in games decided by four points or less. » 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. » Despite only scoring 50 points against the Hawkeyes, UO picked up its first victory when scoring 50 points or less since defeating Utah 50-44 on Nov. 25, 2006 - snapping a streak of 49 straight losses when scoring 50 or less. » UO has played 12 "clutch games" (games within five points with 5:00 or less to play) and won eight of those, with a six-game winning streak in clutch games being snapped against the Cornhuskers. » In those 12 clutch games, guard Deja Kelly leads the Ducks with 15.3 points - up from her season average of 11.8. » Six of Kelly's seven 20-point outings have come in those games, and has scored 20 or more in each of the last four clutch games, including her team-high 22 points at Washington on March 2. » Phillipina Kyei averages 7.9 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor in clutch games while producing five double-figure scoring performances.