Mar 13, 2025 - Sports

Oregon to be well represented in March Madness

Everett Cook

The Oregon State Beavers celebrate defeating the Portland Pilots 59-46 in the championship game of the West Coast Conference women's basketball tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. — Oregon State celebrates winning the West Coast Conference women's basketball tournament in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Photo: Candice Ward/Getty Images

It could be a wild March for Oregon basketball teams.

Why it matters: Three programs are in line to make the NCAA tournament, including one that's already become one of the best stories of the month — the Oregon State women's team.

State of play: The Beavers made the Elite Eight last year but then lost the Pac-12 and five of their top seven scorers. This year, Oregon State stumbled into the West Coast Conference tournament at 16-15 before stunning Gonzaga and Portland to win it and clinch an automatic NCAA tournament bid.

ESPN, which projects the Beavers to be a No. 14 seed playing LSU in Baton Rouge, called it, "the most improbable of (coach Scott) Rueck's nine trips to the NCAA tournament with Oregon State."

The latest: The Oregon men's team is still playing in the Big Ten tournament after beating Indiana in the second round on Thursday, 72-59.

Led by senior center Nate Bittle and sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad, the Ducks are a near-lock to go dancing after going 23-8 in the regular season (though 12-8 in the Big Ten, tied for seventh).
ESPN Bracketology projects the women's team, which finished 10-8 and eleventh in the Big Ten, to make it as a No. 10 seed.

What's next: Selection Sunday broadcasts begin at 3pm PT (men) and 5pm PT (women).

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Oregon to be well represented in March Madness

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