After a one-year absence, the Virginia Tech women's basketball team is dancing in the NCAA Tournament. After being the first team left out in 2025, the Hokies secured the No. 9 seed in the Regional 3 - Fort Worth and will face No. 8 Oregon on Friday afternoon in Austin, Texas, at 1:30 p.m. EST.
The winner will likely face top-seeded Texas in the second round, which will be a daunting task for both teams. Virginia Tech played well down the stretch after faltering last season, which ultimately cost them a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
They were still part of March Madness, if you consider the WBIT part of March Madness, falling in the second round to Texas Tech. This year, they are heading to the big dance, and Vegas doesn't like their chances against the Ducks on Friday.
Vegas has Virginia Tech as underdog against Oregon in first round of the NCAA Tournament
The oddsmakers don't like this matchup for Megan Duffy's team, as according to FanDuel, Virginia Tech is a 4.5 underdog against Oregon. This isn't surprising, and it's par for the course for two other ACC schools playing in the 8-9 games in the opening round.
Syracuse is an 8.5 underdog against Iowa State in the first round as the No. 9 seed in their regional, while Clemson, which is a No. 8 seed, is a 6.5 underdog against USC. Including Virginia Tech, the other two ACC schools in the 8-9 game will also get the top seeds in their regionals if they advance.
Whether it's the men's or women's tournaments, picking the 8-9 games is a complete toss-up and the hardest to pick when filling out a bracket. The same could be said for other games, but the 8-9 games are usually the toughest games to pick, and this year will be no exception.