Who is Oregon? Take An Early Look At Vanderbilt's First NCAA Tournament Opponent

Vanderbilt vs. Oregon: NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament first-round preview. Key stats, player breakdowns, and what to watch for in Friday’s game.
Oregon’s Deja Kelly, left, Peyton Scott and Nani Falatea join the tam on the court before their game against Rutgers at Matthew Knight Arena Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon.
Oregon’s Deja Kelly, left, Peyton Scott and Nani Falatea join the tam on the court before their game against Rutgers at Matthew Knight Arena Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon is making its first appearance in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament since 2022 and the Ducks are surely feeling the emotions that comes with that reward and motivated to make the most of this opportunity.

If any team can understand those feelings and motivations, it’s Vanderbilt. The Commodores are making their second-straight appearance in the big dance after nine years without an invitation. No. 7-seed Vanderbilt will look to welcome No. 10 seed Oregon to the big dance at 4:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN.

2025 NCAA Women's Tournament Bracket
2025 NCAA Women's Tournament Bracket | NCAA

Oregon is a fairly new opponent for the Commodores. The two teams have played just twice, most recently in the 1994-95 season that Vanderbilt won 82-54. So, the Ducks are new opponent to study and learn, a situation Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph said was already in the process of being solved.

“My assistants know more than I do right now, but I know every team in this tournament is really good,” Ralph said in her press conference after Vanderbilt’s selection on Sunday. “They’ve had a good year, their coach is great, and they’ve got talented players.”

Luckily, Ralph, her staff and players have plenty of time to study the Ducks and figure out a game plan. For the rest, here’s a quick glance at the Oregon team Vanderbilt will face in Friday’s first round NCAA Tournament game:

Oregon Ducks At-A-Glance

2024-25 Record: 19-11, 10-8 Big Ten
Coach: Kelly Graves, 10th Season, 221-100, Elite Eight (2018), Final Four (2019); 605-261 career record (27 seasons).
NET: 41st
Quad 1 Record: 4-9
Quad 2 Record: 2-2
Quad 3 Record: 4-0
Quad 4 Record: 9-0
Scoring Offense: 112nd (68.2 ppg)
Scoring Defense: 137th (62.9 opp ppg)
Key Players: Deja Kelly (11.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, Big Ten Honorable Mention), Peyton Scott (10.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 34.9 percent 3PT), Phillipina Kyei (7.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 51 field goal percentage).

Vanderbilt Commodores On SI:


Published | Modified
Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.