Oregon Ducks March Madness Bracket Tournament Projection

The Oregon Ducks prepare to learn who and where they'll play in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Oregon women’s coach Kelly Graves call to his team during the second half against Nebraska Feb. 19, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks won a pair of games in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament to help their case to make the NCAA Tournament. Oregon coach Kelly Graves and his squad now wait as they’re set to learn their postseason fate on Sunday.

The Ducks will learn who they’re set to play in the first round and what their seed will be during the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show.

Where Oregon Lands in Recent Bracketology

Oregon women’s coach Kelly Graves call to his team during the second half against Nebraska Feb. 19, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks’ postseason seeding projection shifted around quite a bit throughout the season. The opportunity was there for the taking for Oregon to have its highest seeding since 2022, when it was a No. 5 seed. The Ducks stayed close in a majority of their Big Ten matchups and could’ve finished conference play with a sizeable number of ranked wins.

Oregon did end up beating ranked opponents on three separate occasions in 2026. An upset victory over the Maryland Terrapins in the Big Ten Tournament helped the Ducks remain in the NCAA Tournament picture and elevate their projected seeding.

Oregon guard Katie Fiso drives toward the basket as the Oregon Ducks face the Washington Huskies on Feb. 15, 2026, at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Washington. | Alec Dietz/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Recent bracketology projections list Oregon as the No. 7 seed. That’s an improvement on where they were immediately after a Big Ten Tournament loss to the Michigan Wolverines, predicted to be a No. 8 seed. It’s also better than the Ducks’ seeding a year ago, when they were No. 10.

ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme projected Oregon to land in the Durham Regional in a No. 7 vs. No. 10 matchup against Princeton. If Creme’s projection ends up being accurate and Oregon advances past the first round, the Ducks would face No. 2 Duke in the second round for the second season in a row.

Oregon narrowly fell 59-53 to Duke last postseason, but the Blue Devils enter this postseason off an ACC Championship and a 16-2 conference record.

NCAA Reveals Host Sites

Mar 8, 2026; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline as they take on the Creighton Bluejays at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

A new part of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament bracket reveal in 2026 is the early announcement of the top 16 seeds. The NCAA revealed on Saturday which teams will host the first and second rounds. The teams weren’t announced by seed, but rather in alphabetical order:

Duke Blue Devils
Iowa Hawkeyes
Louisville Cardinals
LSU Tigers
Michigan Wolverines
Minnesota Golden Gophers
North Carolina Tar Heels
Ohio State Buckeyes
Oklahoma Sooners
South Carolina Gamecocks
TCU Horned Frogs
Texas Longhorns
UCLA Bruins
UConn Huskies
Vanderbilt Commodores
West Virginia Mountaineers

Ducks Look to Make a Deep Tournament Run

Oregon Ducks head coach Kelly Graves high-fives Oregon Ducks forward Mia Jacobs (1) on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, during a Big Ten women's basketball tournament game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon hasn’t made it past the second round of the tournament since 2021 (and even then, only a small number of fans were allowed in the stadium due to COVID-19). However, this Ducks squad is built to upset ranked programs. They’ve shown they’re capable of coming back from massive deficits and winning games that come down to the wire.

Now the Ducks just need to put it all together in the tournament. Who they play and when they play will be a key factor. Oregon doesn’t have the size it did in years past in 6-8 center Phillipina Kyei. Forward Ehis Etute consistently records double-double stat lines and shows off her motor when it comes to fighting for every board, but against a tall physical presence, the Ducks are undersized.

Oregon Ducks forward Ehis Etute (35) and Maryland Terrapins forward Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu (9) go for the ball Thursday, March 5, 2026, during a Big Ten women's basketball tournament game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon might hope to avoid teams like the UCLA Bruins or the Iowa State Cyclones, who have dominant centers like Lauren Betts and Audi Crooks. Programs such as UConn and South Carolina, which are likely No. 1 seeds, will also be teams that Ducks fans will probably hope to see further in the tournament, as opposed to the first round.

Regardless of who Oregon faces, it’ll be playing on the road. The Ducks’ wins against ranked USC and Maryland teams both occurred on the road, in addition to the other win against the Terrapins in the tournament. They’ll just need to repeat history again with the stakes higher.

How to Watch Selection Show

The Women’s NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday Show is set to start at 5 p.m. PT on March 15 on ESPN.

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