PREVIEW: Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Earns #9 Seed and Faces #8 Oregon in the NCAA Tournament

"Relentless Growth" Fuels Return to March Madness

After the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team missed out on the NCAA tournament last year, the mission this year was “relentless growth” in order to reclaim the March limelight. After a hard fought successful season, the Hokies heard their name called on Selection Sunday, earning the No. 9 seed in the Dance this year. 

Virginia Tech (23-9, 12-6 ACC) will play the No. 8 seed Oregon (22-12) in the Fort Worth, Texas regional. The game is at 1:30 ET on Friday, March 20 in Austin, TX. It will be televised on ESPN2.

For an in-depth look at the match up, view the Hokie Hoops Podcast delivered by Pete B and Ed Williams on the Sons of Saturday platform.

If the Hokies defeat Oregon, they will likely face No. 1 seed Texas on Sunday. The Longhorns will take on No. 16 Missouri State, who won the play-in game against Stephen F. Austin Wednesday night.

Even though the bid was expected, the Hokies celebrated because of all the hard work they put into getting the program back to its traditional level of excellence.

Head coach Megan Duffy spoke to the media after the announcement, "It’s awesome. It’s always an expectation here to put a really good product out for our fans, our community, and for the tradition here. That was one of my things when I came here is I didn’t want it to drop. I wanted to keep the standard high, and I didn’t know how long that’s going to take, and I’m just so proud of the team that has been responsible for doing that.

“We’re trying to do this with great emotion and energy and positivity, and these women have worked extremely hard to get to this point. The next phase is we’ve got to get after it this week and get ready to go fight against Oregon.”

 

GETTING TO KNOW THE OREGON DUCKS

 

Oregon earned in #10 seed in the 2025 NCAA tournament and lost to then #2 Duke in the second round, 59-53. This year, the Ducks finished 11th in the Big Ten with an 8-10 conference record. Oregon defeated Maryland in the second round but then got eliminated by a strong Michigan performance.

 

THE PLAYERS

Oregon is led by sophomores Katie Fisco and Ehis Etute, but it has several other players that must be accounted for. Nine players average double digit minutes per game; however, five players take 70.4% of the shots. 

Katie Fiso is a 5’11 sophomore guard who averages 32 minutes a game and is the team’s best all-around player. She leads the team with 15.3 points per game (ppg) and facilitates the offense with 6.3 assists per game.

She shoots 48.2% from the field, with many of her shots coming off screens at the top of the key for mid-range jumpers.  Fisco takes 21% of the team’s shots, so much of the offense goes through her.  She is a good free throw shooter, hitting 81.5% of her charity shots.  Fisco also grabs 3.5 rebounds per game and averages 1.4 steals.

Fiso does not shoot many threes. She only attempted 41 threes for the season (19.4% of her shots are from three) and only makes 24.4% of those shots from beyond the arc. She looks to get downhill off screens and pushes the ball in transition.

Her 215 total assists, which is 6th in Division I, tells you how much she has the ball in her hands as the player with the second most assists only has 62.  Her assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.6 (Mackenzie Nelson has a Division I seventh best ratio of 2.7) and she averaged 3.9 turnovers a game, totalling 131 for the season.

Fiso scored at least 20 points in three of her last four games; she averaged 16 shots per game during that final stretch, so she was aggressive in looking for her shot.

 

Ehis Etute is a 6’ sophomore forward from Luxembourg who averages 12.6 points per game. Etute leads the Big Ten with 8.9 rebounds per game, including 4.1 offensive rebounds, so it will be important to keep her off the offensive glass. For comparison’s sake, Virginia Tech’s KIlah Freelon averages 3.4 offensive rebounds per game,

Etute shoots 53.2% from the field and 72.7% from the free throw line.  She is not a threat from long distance as she has only taken one three all season. However, she will run the floor in transition, and Oregon will clear out the middle and go to Etute in the lane.

Like Freelon, Etute is a double-double machine, posting 10 for the year and four in a row to finish the season. 

She takes 13.7% of the team’s shots. Etute averages 1.3 steals but also averages 2.1 turnovers a game.

 

Mia Jacobs is a 6’ 2 senior forward from Australia. She averages 12.6 ppg on 41.1% shooting from the field. She leads the team in three point shooting volume, with 166 attempts while shooting 35.5% from beyond arc. Jacobs is also a good free throw shooter with a 83.3% clip.

Jacobs averages 5.3 rebounds, including 1.2 offensive rebounds,  and 1.3 steals but also commits 2.5 turnovers per game.

Mia Jacobs is the second leading shot taker for Oregon, taking 14.3% of the shots. She is capable of going off from distance as she scored 30 points against Wisconsin on 6-of-9 shooting  from three. Virginia Tech defenders will have to be aware of Jacob proclivity to shoot and make three pointers.

 

Sofia Bell is a 6’ junior guard who is second on the team in minutes played at 30.9 minutes a game. She averages 7.0 ppg and 39.9% shooting from the field.

Bell is also the second leading three point threat, taking 165 total three pointers for a 36.4% shooting percentage from distance.

She takes 10% of the team’s shots and averages 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while turning the ball over .9 times a game.

 

Ari Long is a 6’ junior guard who averages 25 minutes and 6.5 points per game. She takes 11.5% of the team’s shots, while shooting 36.6% from the field and 81.8% from the free throw line.  She is third on the team in terms of number of threes she shoots, while averaging 30.5% from three.

Long also averages 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 steals while committing 1.1 turnovers a game.

 

Sarah Rambus is a 5’3 junior forward who averages 14.5 minutes and 6.4 points per game. Shoots 52.9% from the field and 67.9% from the free throw line. 

Rambus has not shot a single three this season, so she is not a threat from deep. She does, however, feel very comfortable shooting from the top of the key area.

 

Astera Tuhina is a 5’9” senior guard from Kosovo. She averages 15 minutes, 4.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.7 steals per game.  Tuhina shoots 42.9% from the field, 34.5% from three, and 88.9% from the free throw line area.

 

Avery Cain is a 6’1 guard  She averages 14.3 minutes per game and only 3.8 points per game.  Cain shoots 35.8% from the field and 75% from the free throw line,

Hokie defenders must know where she is at all times because, if she is in, Cain is likely shooting threes.  She is fourth on the team in three point attempts with 86 while only eighth on the team in playing time. 

 

Amina Muhammad is a 6 '4 senior forward who averages 11.4 minutes a game to go along with her 3.5 ppg, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game.

Three other players play less than 8 minutes a game.

 

HOW DID OREGON GET HERE - WHO HAVE THEY PLAYED?

 

Biggest Wins

#21 USC, 71-66, in the regular season

#16 Maryland, 68-61, in the regular season

#14 Maryland, 73-68,  in the Big Ten Tournament

 

How did Oregon beat Maryland in the Big Ten tournament? Maryland jumped out early, but Oregon pulled back to take a lead before the game settled into a tight affair. In the final six minutes of the game, Oregon took control of the game on the basis of missed shots and turnovers by Maryland and key three pointers off of kicks to the Oregon's Sofia Bell in the corners.

Ehis Etute had a great game with 10 rebounds and 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting. In fact, Etute also had a big game in Oregon’s 71-66 win over then #21 USC on January 6.

With 24 seconds left in the game and Oregon only up two, Fiso was fouled high on the perimeter. She hit both free throws to extend the lead. Fiso did not shoot well as she was 7-for-17 but she had five assists and put pressure on the Maryland defense with attacks off screens. She did have 4 turnovers that provided opportunities for Maryland to come back. 

Both teams turned the ball over at a high clip (15 for Oregon and 17 for Maryland), but the key factor in Oregon’s win was that Maryland was 1-for-15 from three point land.

 

Key Losses:

Oregon played and lost to a number of ranked Big Team teams. While the Ducks experienced double digit losses to #2 UCLA and #11 Ohio State, the final margins of many of their other losses were single digits.

#2 UCLA, 80-59

#7 Iowa, 74-66

#9 Michigan, 92-87

#11 Ohio State, 80-64

#15 Michigan State, 85-81

#25 Washington, 51-43

Wisconsin, 94-92

Minnesota, 65-60

Indiana, 72-65

Washington, 70-69

#6 Michigan, 80-58 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.

 

SCOUTING REPORT: COMPARISONS AGAINST COMMON OPPONENTS IN THE 2025-26 SEASON

Both Virginia Tech and Oregon played Stanford and Oregon State this season: Oregon split the two games whereas Virginia Tech defeated both opponents. Here is a look at some dynamics in those games that can provide lessons for Virginia Tech in its matchup against Oregon. 

 

Oregon lost to Stanford, 64-53 (at Stanford)

Stanford jumped out to an early lead in the home game against Oregon. While Oregon fought back and made it a tight game until Stanford created separation starting around the 8:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter. 

• The Ducks played a mix of zone and man-to-man against the Cardinals.
• 1-2-2 Press: Oregon did start out the game in a 1-2-2 man press with three players high against two Stanford ball-handlers. Stanford broke the press and scored against defenders trying to scramble back into position. The backend defender was often left defending two offensive players. Stanford missed some point blank layups or it would have built a bigger lead when breaking the press.
• Susceptible to Cuts: Oregon was susceptible to cuts as Duck defenders lost track of players without the ball
• Over-Reaction to Drives: Oregon defenders over-reacted to dribble drives in a way that bodes well for Carleigh Wenzel, Mackenzie Nelson, and Samyha Sufften
• Transition Defense: The Ducks were slow getting back at times and vulnerable to transition attacks, such as the times that the Hokies hit Freelon running the court.
• Spread Out on Offense: Oregon will spread out and isolate the Etute in the post for 1-on-1 moves
• Katie Fiso Uses Screens:  Key player Fisco uses screens at the top of the lane to drive along the lane line.
• Fiso Prone to Turnovers:  She had 3 in this game
• Poor Shooting: Oregon shot 2-for-14 (14%) from three and 18-of-56 (32%)  from the field. Fisco was 4-of-15.
• Fisco and Etute Free Throws: Both players were 6-of-8 from the free throw line.

 

Oregon beat Oregon State, 96-73  (at Home)

• Ehis Etute did not play.
• Katie Fiso scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and had 14 assists. She hit a number of mid-range jumpers off of screens up top.
• Mia Jacobs scored 21 points while Sarah Rambus scored 18 points
• Both teams shot 20 free throws
• Oregon forced 22 turnovers by Oregon State
• Oregon State had 14 offensive rebounds.
• Zone Defense:  Oregon morphed between a 3-2 to a 2-3 zone. The bottom defender (Rambis) will often float to the top forcing other defenders to rotate on the bottom of the zone. The rotation of the ball by Oregon State allowed the Beavers to get scoring opportunities on the baseline. Virginia Tech Mackenzie Nelson and company will be able to drive the baseline, draw defenders, and dish to open players in the lane or weakside.
• Hot Shooting is the Difference: Oregon shot 68% from the field (38-of-56), including 8-of-10 from three. The shooting percentage was the difference in the game that off-set Oregon State’s offensive rebound edge.

BREAKING DOWN THE DUCKS

Oregon will play a mix of zone and man defense. The Ducks will also throw a three-quarter court 1-2-2 press at the Hokies in an effort to generate turnovers. They tend to play high up on the perimeter and will overplay Hokie players.  Oregon is susceptible to cuts, drives along the baseline, as well as getting beat in transition. Virginia Tech moves the ball up court quickly, which will open up chances to kick the ball ahead to Kilah Freelon or get Carys Baker open for transition threes.

Oregon’s offense revolves around Katie Fiso and Ehis Etute. Fiso has the ball in her hands a lot and uses screens to get downhill for either layups or pull up jumpshots on the wing. Etute will post up or find holes around the free throw line when Fiso draws an extra defender. They play a nice combination game that will pressure Virginia Tech’s defenses, especially on screen and rolls. Lastly, Fiso will look for her three point shooters in the corners when her drives draw an extra defender.

The Ducks are good free throw shooters with a 77.6% team average (good for No. 19 in Division I). They don’t shoot a lot of three pointers as Fiso, who leads the team in overall shooting, does not take many threes. However, the Ducks do shoot 34.2% from long distance, so the Hokies have to be aware of shooters like Jacobs (166 three point attempts), Bell (165 attempts), Long, and Cain. For comparison's sake, Tech’s Carleigh Wenzel took 188 three pointers and Carys Baker had 166 attempts.

Virginia Tech will need to get consistent production from its core players. Wenzel needs to continue her aggressive play, including drives that draw fouls on Ducks. Oregon defenders over-react to drives, so other Hokie drivers like Nelson and Samyha Suffren can get into the lane. It is important that Virginia Tech not settle for outside shots and attack the basket.

Baker, who struggled in Tech’s loss to North Carolina in the ACC tournament, needs to bring her all-around inside-outside game, rebound, and splash her momentum-generating three pointers.  Virginia Tech has an advantage on the offensive glass, so Kilah Freelon will get offensive rebound and scoring opportunities both against Oregon’s man and zone defenses. Lastly, Tech’s other role players such as Mel Daley and Leila Wells, who provided nice contributions this season, need to have quality games as they will get open looks. Wells may get the first assignment to guard Fiso, but Tech will likely throw a variety of players at her to give Fiso different looks.  Kayl Peterson and Aniya Trent will likely see the court at times depending on how Baker and Freelon hold up, but they have to be ready for those screens.

 

PREDICTION

This is an interesting even matchup between the #8 and #9 seeds. On paper, Oregon has a slight edge. The Ducks are favored in Vegas by 3.5 points. The Massey Ratings give Oregon the edge by 2.5 points.

The game for Virginia Tech will come down to shooting well, avoiding turnovers, controlling the glass, and defense.  The Hokies have the advantage on defense per most of the team stats. While the Dukes go generate more steals, Virgina Tech has a better field percentage defense, defensive rebounding average, and gives up fewer points per game.  The Hokies have to keep Fiso out of the lane, prevent Etute from going off, and keep the Duck perimeter shooters in check.  

When the Hokies play well, their defensive intensity drives their offense.  There will be opportunities to push the ball in transition, hit threes, drive on the Ducks, and get offensive putbacks. The Hokies have to have a balanced attack AND avoid one of those quarter-long droughts they experienced against the top teams in the ACC.

Both teams will get to the line, but the Hokies have more players who will potentially draw fouls either through drives or offensive putbacks.  

Oregon has experience playing against tough, ranked opponents, but Virginia Tech has had its own signature wins that required poise and resilience down the stretch.  The difference will be Virginia Tech’s defense. Oregon, including Fiso, is prone to turnovers. If the Hokies can bring that tenacious defense and get good nights from its key players, they win and go on to likely face No. 1 seed Texas in the second round game on Sunday.

Virginia Tech will be led by juniors Carleigh Wenzel and Carys Baker, who have provided double digit scoring and play-making all season. Sophomore point guard Mackenzie Nelson, the Queen of both Assists and Drawing Charges, will be counted on to provide game-changing plays on defense and get the ball to her teammates on offense. 

Virginia Tech Women's Basketball
@HokiesWBB

TIME FOR SOME MARCH MADNESS 🦃

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ACC ENTRIES INTO THE TOURNAMENT

On a side note, the ACC is sending 9 teams to the NCAA Tournament, a new league record.