Following a big win against No. 15-seed Lehigh in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Duke women's basketball will play No. 10-seed Oregon Sunday afternoon. The Blue Zone is here with an overview of the Ducks and an X-Factor for each squad:
Overview
2023-2024 record: 11-21, 2-16 in Pac-12
2024-2025 record: 20-11, 10-8 in Big 10
Head coach: Kelly Graves
Last meeting: 74-65, Oregon, Mar. 20, 2017
In their first season in the Big 10, the Ducks had a strong rebound from a rough couple of campaigns, finishing over .500 in conference play for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Their most notable win was against then-No. 12 Baylor at the beginning of the season, a solid win against a strong squad.
The resurgence was led by one of Duke’s familiar foes, guard Deja Kelly. Kelly spent her undergraduate career at North Carolina before leaving, making some waves on her way out. At her new home, the Duncanville, Texas, native has led her team in scoring and minutes, doing much of her work around the rim.
The Ducks’ second and third scoring options spend their time In the backcourt with Kelly, as Peyton Scott and Nani Falatea combine to average 18.2 points per game. Both are solid shooters from beyond the arc, and they take the majority of the deep attempts for Graves’ team.
The 6-foot-8 Phillipina Kyei anchors the paint for Oregon, and has accumulated 30 blocks on the season while averaging 7.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Elisa Mevius and Amina Muhammad have both seen regular minutes and started at times for the Ducks, each averaging around six points and a smattering of rebounds and assists.
X-Factor
Duke: Oluchi Okananwa
Last year’s ACC Sixth Player of the Year has had a strong impact on each of Duke’s wins this season, as her lightning-quick play style makes her an outstanding guard. Okananwa leads the Blue Devils in steals and is a menace in the fast-break, a key part of Duke’s scoring efforts.
The Boston native will be critical in the Blue Devils’ effort to take down the Ducks, as Duke’s halfcourt offense has been lackluster at times this season. If the Blue Devils want to survive an advance against a hot Oregon side getting points out in transition will be key, and no one does that better than Oluchi Okananwa.
Oregon: Phillipina Kyei
Standing at 6-foot-8, the Ducks’ center is the second-tallest player in the tournament. Duke is notably small in the frontcourt, with key forwards Jadyn Donovan, Delaney Thomas and Toby Fournier all being undersized for their positions. This is a troublesome formula for the Blue Devils, as Kyei should be able to physically dominate Duke on the boards and the home team will need to fight hard for its rebounds.
If Oregon ends up victorious Sunday, it will very likely do so behind a monster rebounding showing from Kyei. If the Ducks are able to get second-chance points from possessions saved by Kyei, it’ll be a tough scene for the Blue Devils.
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