Surprising Betting Odds for Oregon Ducks Women's Basketball Against Virginia Tech

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Currently sitting in the middle of the Big Ten Conference with a 22-12 regular season overall record (8-10 conference record) the No. 8-seeded Oregon Ducks women's basketball team heads to Austin, Texas to take on the No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies to kick off March Madness.
The Ducks punch their March Madness ticket for the 19th time in school history, with coach Kelly Graves racking up his seventh invite in the last nine tournament occurrences (including last years' upset over Vanderbilt that helped the Ducks advance to the second round).

So, what are the current betting odds saying about Oregon's chances of beating the Hokies?
What The Betting Odds Are Saying
According to betting odds from Fan Duel, Oregon is favored over Virginia Tech by 4.5 points. This is one of the tighter match-ups for the regional brackets, with the similarly ranked No. 9 USC Trojans vs. No. 8 Clemson having the Trojans favored by 6.5 points.
Fan Duel also reports that Connecticut (-270), UCLA (+600), and Texas (+850) are the three teams with the best odds of securing the national title. Oregon is currently not listed as a team with odds to win the national title.

What the Ducks Are Up Against
On the other side of the court for Friday, Hokies coach Megan Duffy secured her first March Madness invite in her second year with Virginia Tech.
Of the 11 Big Ten teams also invited to March Madness, Oregon secured wins against five of those squads including USC, Illinois, Maryland, and Nebraska. However, Oregon advancing with a win against the Hokies would mean meeting teams Graves' squad has yet to face.
The second round for the Ducks would be either against No. 1 seeded Texas or the No. 16 seed, soon to be decided with a game against Missouri State or SF Austin on Wednesday, March 18. Beyond that would be a game against the winner of No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 James Madison or No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Miami of Ohio.

The Oregon Ducks Overview
The Ducks vs. the Hokies will likely be one of the more enticing games of round one, and the betting odds reflect that. For Oregon to pull out a win, they need production early on, especially from forward Mia Jacobs and a continuance of production from guard Katie Fiso, who leads the team in points per game with 15.3.
Virginia Tech guard Carleigh Wenzel, who puts up an average 15.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and forward Carys Baker, who is averaging over 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, both bring a unique challenge for the Ducks. That offense and defense duo brings a unique challenge that the Ducks need to tackle, but the talent on Oregon's roster may be able to out-muscle.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

A reporter for Oregon Ducks on SI, Ally Osborne is a born and raised Oregonian. She graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021 after interning for the Oregon Sports Network with experience working on live sporting broadcasts for ESPN, FOX Sports, the PAC 12 Network, and Runnerspace. Osborne continued her career in Bend, Oregon as a broadcast reporter in 2021 for Central Oregon Daily News while writing for Oregon Ducks on SI. Since then, Osborne is entering her third season reporting for the publication and is frequently the on-site reporter for home games at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. She is currently the host of lifestyle shows "Everyday Northwest" and "Tower Talk Live" for KOIN 6 News in Portland, Oregon. Osborne also works as a sports reporter for KOIN 6's "Game On" sports department. In her free time, Osborne is an avid graphic designer, making art commissions for athletes across her home state. Osborne's designs have even become tattoos for a few Duck athletes.