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Vanderbilt women's basketball is playing in March Madness for the second straight year. As opposed to last year, when it was on the bubble and sweated out Selection Sunday, this season the team easily made the field as a No. 7 seed.
The Commodores (22-10) will face off against No. 10 seed Oregon (19-11) in the first round at 4:30 p.m. CT Friday (ESPNEWS) in Durham, North Carolina. No. 2 seed Duke (26-7) awaits the winner.
The Ducks have wins over Baylor, Iowa and Michigan State; Vanderbilt lost to the Spartans in November. The Commodores' best wins are over Tennessee (twice) and Alabama. Oregon ranks No. 40 in the NET, nine spots lower than the worst opponent Vanderbilt has lost to this season.
Vanderbilt NCAA tournament tickets vs. Oregon
Vanderbilt has had one Achilles' heel all year: Big post players who are automatic at the rim and can rebound any misses.
Oregon has one such player: Phillipina Kyei, who at 6-foot-8 is one of the tallest players in women's basketball. She averages 7.5 points and 6.9 rebounds in just 19.1 minutes per game. Though she isn't a scoring machine, her 51% field-goal percentage is higher than that of any player on Vanderbilt's roster, and she is a strong defender and rim protector. The Commodores' best bet may be to get her in foul trouble or coax her into turning the ball over.
Though the Ducks can force turnovers and defend in the paint, their perimeter defense leaves a lot to be desired. Opponents have shot 33.7% from deep against them, one of the worst marks in the country.
Though Vanderbilt is not an elite 3-point shooting team, it has some players who can make things happen. Mikayla Blakes, Iyana Moore, Jane Nwaba, Madison Greene and Justine Pissott all make more than one-third of their 3-point attempts.
MIKAYLA BLAKES Inside Mikayla Blakes' transformation from late bloomer to Vanderbilt NCAA record-setting scoring machine
Deja Kelly spent four years at North Carolina before spending a graduate season at Oregon. She is the Ducks' top scorer at 11.6 points per game and averages 4.3 rebounds. However, she is not very efficient, with just a 38.3% field-goal percentage and a 21.7% 3-point percentage.
Vanderbilt 77, Oregon 69: Vanderbilt is going to have to contend with Kyei, but the Commodores have far superior guards, and that often matters in March.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt vs Oregon prediction: Women’s March Madness bracket pick
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The Commodores (22-10) will face off against No. 10 seed Oregon (19-11) in the first round at 4:30 p.m. CT Friday (ESPNEWS) in Durham, North Carolina. No. 2 seed Duke (26-7) awaits the winner.
The Ducks have wins over Baylor, Iowa and Michigan State; Vanderbilt lost to the Spartans in November. The Commodores' best wins are over Tennessee (twice) and Alabama. Oregon ranks No. 40 in the NET, nine spots lower than the worst opponent Vanderbilt has lost to this season.
Vanderbilt NCAA tournament tickets vs. Oregon
Oregon's 6-foot-8 center Phillipina Kyei could cause Vanderbilt problems
Vanderbilt has had one Achilles' heel all year: Big post players who are automatic at the rim and can rebound any misses.
Oregon has one such player: Phillipina Kyei, who at 6-foot-8 is one of the tallest players in women's basketball. She averages 7.5 points and 6.9 rebounds in just 19.1 minutes per game. Though she isn't a scoring machine, her 51% field-goal percentage is higher than that of any player on Vanderbilt's roster, and she is a strong defender and rim protector. The Commodores' best bet may be to get her in foul trouble or coax her into turning the ball over.
Oregon allows a lot of 3-pointers
Though the Ducks can force turnovers and defend in the paint, their perimeter defense leaves a lot to be desired. Opponents have shot 33.7% from deep against them, one of the worst marks in the country.
Though Vanderbilt is not an elite 3-point shooting team, it has some players who can make things happen. Mikayla Blakes, Iyana Moore, Jane Nwaba, Madison Greene and Justine Pissott all make more than one-third of their 3-point attempts.
MIKAYLA BLAKES Inside Mikayla Blakes' transformation from late bloomer to Vanderbilt NCAA record-setting scoring machine
Deja Kelly is one Oregon player to watch
Deja Kelly spent four years at North Carolina before spending a graduate season at Oregon. She is the Ducks' top scorer at 11.6 points per game and averages 4.3 rebounds. However, she is not very efficient, with just a 38.3% field-goal percentage and a 21.7% 3-point percentage.
Vanderbilt vs Oregon March Madness score prediction
Vanderbilt 77, Oregon 69: Vanderbilt is going to have to contend with Kyei, but the Commodores have far superior guards, and that often matters in March.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt vs Oregon prediction: Women’s March Madness bracket pick
Continue reading...
