Oregon’s March Madness Schedule and Path To Final Four

Who will the Oregon Ducks be playing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament?

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

March Madness is starting soon, and the Oregon Ducks (22-12, 8-10 Big Ten) out of the Big Ten Conference received the No. 8 seed and will play the No. 9-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies (23-9, 12-6 ACC) from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The first-round matchup in the Fort Worth region will take place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Friday, March 20. The tip-off time is to be determined.

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

This is the Ducks women's basketball program's 19th all-time appearance in the Big Dance. Since coach Kelly Graves took the reins in Eugene, Oregon, back in 2014, he has brought the Pacific Northwest program into March Madness seven times. That included three straight Elite Eight appearances from 2017 through 2019 and a Final Four run in 2019 as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, under the great Sabrina Ionescu of the WNBA's New York Liberty.

Unfortunately, the No. 8-seed versus No. 9-seed line is always brutal. The No. 8-seed holds a losing record of 65-124 since the NCAA Tournament's expansion to 64 teams in 1994.

Oregon’s Katie Fiso, right, celebrates as the Ducks move ahead of Washington during the fourth quarter at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, March 1, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It only gets tougher if Oregon were to get out of the first round, with a potential meeting against the No. 1-seeded Texas Longhorns out of the SEC on Sunday, March 22. The home-court advantage for the Longhorns obviously wouldn't play in the Ducks' favor. Texas has the third-best odds to cut down the nets at +850, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Final Four will take place at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona, starting on Friday, April 3. The national championship follows on Sunday, April 5.

Mar 6, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Carleigh Wenzel (1) shoots over North Carolina Tar Heels forward Ciera Toomey (21) during the first half at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Carleigh Wenzel, who adds 15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. 6-2 junior forward Carys Bakers also puts in 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Hokies.

Under coach Megan Duffy, Virginia Tech's 23 wins in 2026 is the ninth time in the last 10 seasons that the Hokies have surpassed 20 or more victories.

Oregon will rely heavily on the shoulders of 5-11 sophomore guard Katie Fiso from Seattle, Washington. Fiso leads the Ducks in scoring at 15.3 points on a 48.2 field goal percentage to go along with 6.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game.

Graves has pushed the Ducks to 20 plus wins now nine times, bringing pride and prominence to the Emerald City.

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