The Virginia Tech women's basketball team will begin the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Friday at 1:30 p.m. EST in Austin, Texas. The Hokies are the No. 9 seed in the Fort Worth 3 Regional and will face No. 8 Oregon from the Big Ten.
Landing in the 8-9 game is tough, considering if you win, you have to likely play the top-seed, and in this case, for Virginia Tech and Oregon, that's Texas. Before either team can think about the Longhorns, one will have to get by the other. If the Hokies are going to pull an upset, they will need these three. players to step up.
3 Virginia Tech women's basketball players who could become stars in te NCAA Tournament
Samyha Suffren
There might be no bigger unsung hero this season for Virginia Tech than Samyha Suffren. After her 2024-25 season was cut short with an injury, she has bounced back and bounced back big time in 2025-26 for the Hokies.
She's averaging 9.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists a game. Her speed causes nightmares for opponents at both ends of the floor. She has had a nice outside shot as the season has gone along, and gives Megan Duffy valuable minutes. Suffren could be a real X-factor in the tournament.
Mel Daley
Senior guard and Northwestern transfer Mel Daley should know a thing or two about Oregon after facing them in the Big Ten prior to coming to Blacksburg. She has started and come off the bench for Duffy this season. She has averaged 8.1 points per game and 3.3 rebounds. Daley has a very good mid-range jump shot, and she'll have to break it out against the Ducks.
Aniya Trent
As the season went on, freshman Aniya Trent began getting more and more playing time and earning the trust of Duffy. She doesn't score a lot, and with all the options the Hokies have at times on the score, she doesn't have to. She needs to rebound and play very good defense. She has a bright future in the program and should leap next season. Getting some NCAA Tournament experience will be big for Trent.