Deja Kelly has spent just one season with the Ducks after transferring to Oregon from the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2024. However, the senior guard quickly stepped into a leadership role that she is leaning into more as the postseason unfolds.
As the Ducks prepare for their first-ever appearance in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, Kelly has stepped up her intensity, and she has asked her teammates to do the same.
On Wednesday, a day before Oregon's postseason truly began, the team shared a story of Kelly requesting footage of the team's deepest runs through previous tournaments, hoping to emulate some of the legendary status of players like Sabrina Ionescu.
Kelly sent those videos to her teammates before the Ducks flew to Indianapolis for the conference tournament.
"People are locked in this time of the month and want to get better and want to be at their best," Kelly said. "It's definitely a good thing."
Getting the week started in Indy. #GoDucks x @B1Gwbball pic.twitter.com/5UCxZ7Bbmu
— Oregon Women’s Basketball (@OregonWBB) March 5, 2025
So far this season, Kelly has led Oregon in points (11.8 PPG) and assists (3.3 APG) as she and the Ducks worked to secure a 19-10 overall record and a 10-8 record against their Big Ten opponents. Now, Kelly and the Ducks will face the Indiana Hoosiers in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, after receiving a bye in the first round as the No. 8 seed.
"It's tournament time, you guys," said Oregon head coach Kelly Graves at a pre-tournament practice. "We need everybody dialed in. The focus has gotta go up, and that starts today."
Graves is looking to lead a team to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in his career and the sixth time at Oregon. The farthest that the Ducks have gone in the postseason under Kelly was a Final Four appearance when Oregon lost to the then-No. 1 Baylor Bears.
Oregon and Indiana are scheduled to tip off at 9 a.m. PT at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. The Hoosiers are the No. 9 seed in the tournament, and the last time the two teams played, the Ducks walked away with a 54-47 victory.