Know the Foe: Oregon DucksKnow the Foe: Oregon Ducks
Women's Basketball

Know the Foe: Oregon Ducks

Hokies to face No. 8 Oregon in first round of NCAA Tournament

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BLACKSBURG – After earning an at-large bid to the Women’s NCAA Tournament this past Sunday, Virginia Tech will start their postseason play against Oregon on Friday, March 20 at 1:30 p.m. ET. The Hokies (23-9, 12-6), who earned the No. 9 seed in the Fort Worth Region 3 section of the tournament bracket, will face a No. 8-seeded Ducks (22-12, 8-10) squad that is back in the Big Dance for the second consecutive season. Friday’s contest will be streamed live on ESPN2.  

In terms of head-to-head competition, the Hokies and Ducks only share one all-time matchup. The Ducks emerged victorious against the Hokies in the Pepsi Shootout in Eugene, Oregon on Nov. 27, 1999, by a score of 73-53. Leading scorers for the Hokies included Sarah Hicks, who logged a team-high 20 points in the contest, and Tere Williams, who posted a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double. 

Friday's matchup will serve as the 14th NCAA Tournament appearance for the Hokies and the fifth in the last six years. While Tech head coach Megan Duffy will be logging her first postseason appearance with the Hokies, the seasoned veteran isn’t unfamiliar with the tournament, previously appearing in 2021, 2023 and 2024 while at the helm for Marquette. Comparatively, Oregon head coach Kelly Graves enters the matchup with postseason experience, as Sunday’s bid marks the 15th time the coach will take a team to the Big Dance.  

Graves’ 2025-26 Oregon squad enters the tournament at a 22-12 record while sitting 11th in the Big Ten conference. While the team started 10-0 at the beginning of the regular season – winning the first 10 games by an average of 27.4 points – Oregon would go 12-12 to finish the regular season. Memorable moments for the Ducks included ranked wins against then-No. 21 USC and No. 16 Maryland on Jan. 6 and Jan. 31 respectively and a pair of wins in the Big Ten tournament against Purdue and Maryland.  

Leading the charge for the Ducks is guard Katie Fiso. Hailing from Seattle, Washington, the 5-foot-11 sophomore has started and appeared in all of Oregon’s 34 contests this season, logging a team-high 15.3 points per game behind a 48.2 field goal percentage. What makes Fiso stand out, however, is her court vision, evidenced by the fact that the guard has led the team in assists in 28 of 34 matchups throughout the year. Her 6.3 assists per contest rank second overall in the Big Ten.  

Joining Fiso on the hardwood is a plethora of notable contributors on both sides of the floor. Mia Jacobs, a 6-foot-2 senior forward from Perth, Australia, has started and appeared in 32 contests this season, logging 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Her 83.3 percent accuracy at the stripe ranks seventh in the Big Ten and is highest among the Ducks squad. Additionally, 6-foot sophomore Ehis Etute has been an asset in her second year with the team, providing 12.6 points and a conference-leading 8.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Etute is also comfortable on the defensive end, as seen by her team-high 28 blocks on the year.  

Be sure to tune into the exciting action as the Hokies face off against the Ducks on Friday afternoon! Looking to secure your spot in Cassell next season? Fill out the Season Ticket Holder Interest form today!