Virginia Tech WBB Season Recap After Eliminated by Oregon in NCAA Tournament Round of 64

 

In a heartbreaker of a loss ending a historical season for No. 9 Virginia Tech, the No. 8 Oregon Ducks advance to the Round of 32.

A Tough First Round Exit, What Went Wrong?

In their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2024, the Virginia Tech Hokies had a lot to be proud of coming into this game, regardless of the outcome. Proving critics wrong and finishing 6th in the ACC and dancing in March Madness, Coach Duffy and her team gave everything they had.

Cold Shooting at the Wrong Time

Towards the end of the regular season, Virginia Tech began to have stretches in games where it felt like no shot went in. Such cold stretches allowed for teams to come back despite a large lead. An example of this was in their regular season finale against UVA. The Hokies led by as much as 23 points, but a sloppy second half let Virginia creep back in. Although Virginia Tech pulled off a 1-point victory, there were many times this season that periods of cold shooting let them down, and this was seen in their Round of 64 matchup with No. 8 Oregon. The Hokies were competitive to start the game, with the lead being passed between the two teams majority of the first quarter. However, Oregon went on a 15-2 run in the last few minutes of the first quarter, just the beginning of Virginia Tech's struggles. Oregon's largest lead would climb to 22 points, making Virginia Tech's largest lead of 2 points seem like nothing. The Oregon Ducks remained in control around 90% of the game thanks to the Hokies' off shooting on the night. As a team, Virginia Tech shot a field-goal percentage of 32% and 38% from three, putting on full display their struggles to score when it mattered most. One thing that really had the Hokies down was the lack of offensive presence from Carys Baker until the fourth quarter. In the first half, Baker scored just 2 points, leaving the rest of the team scrambling to find a way to score as Virginia Tech's lead scorer, Carleigh Wenzel also had her struggles. In the fourth quarter alone, Baker got hot and scored 17 points. That said, this last second spark was not enough for the Hokies as it came at the wrong time leading to a 60-70 loss.

Lack of Height in the Frontcourt

All season long; the Hokies have struggled to guard Power 4 teams with tall forwards. Virginia Tech's tallest player this season was 6'3" freshman Aniya Trent. Despite being the tallest, Trent never started for the Hokies as senior forward Kilah Freelon who stood at 6'1" brought the most skill and experience in that position. Freelon's backup this season was another undersized forward, 6'0" sophomore Kayl Petersen. Although Freelon and Petersen were often outsized by defenders, their fundamentals and ability to facilitate the ball when unable to score themselves were crucial to the success of Virginia Tech. In this particular matchup with Oregon, Freelon was slightly outsized by Oregon's starting forward, Mia Jacobs (6'2"). Jacobs flourished in this matchup with Freelon, putting up 13 points and taking home 5 rebounds. Freelon on the other hand, struggled to score when either put against Jacobs or Ehis Etute. Etute was one to also capitalize on the size Oregon had compared to Virginia Tech as she recorded an 11-point 11-rebound double-double. Looking to the future, can Coach Duffy recruit some bigs with height to surround her star backcourt in Carleigh Wenzel and Carys Baker as they enter their senior year in the 2026-2027 season?

A Season Ending, but a Future Rising

Lessons from the Loss

Like any other game, there are many lessons to be learned and things to grow on after Virginia Tech's first round exit. Shooting slumps happen and it is completely normal to have a bad game shooting, but a missed shot cannot dictate the rest of the game. If one flaw is shining brighter than what could be successful defense, then there's a deeper effort issue. That said, this doesn't seem to be the problem for Virginia Tech. The Hokies have the effort and determination; the execution is where things seem to slip through. However, given that Virginia Tech only had six returning players from the 2024-2025 season, the unity and togetherness they played with this season is like no other. In just her second season at Virginia Tech, Head Coach Megan Duffy has been able to not only earn a 20-win season, but also make it to the NCAA Tournament, something that hasn't always been a guarantee for the Hokies. As Coach Duffy continues to find her groove in Blacksburg and discovering what works for her team, not only will the frequency in large shooting slumps decrease, but she will also find more success within the hard-working team she desires to have.

A Foundation to Build On

Despite the hard loss in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, there are certainly takeaways to use as fuel in the seasons to come. No matter the team and no matter the adversity faced, beating the odds and proving people wrong can be the motivation needed for years at a time. After being projected in pre-season rankings to finish 10th in the ACC to then go on to finish 6th is something to be proud of and shows how much grit and skill the Hokies have. Even though they took some difficult conference losses to teams like Notre Dame and UNC, Virginia Tech fought and managed to hold the lead against both teams, making for a promising future. Sure, Notre Dame will still be good next year with Hannah Hidalgo entering her final season and Duke still has many dominant years ahead with Toby Fournier, but the way Virginia Tech has pushed themselves to compete with the best teams in one of the best conferences is beyond impressive.