The Ducks are once again dancing in the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon earned a No. 10 seed and will face No. 7 Temple (24-7) in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday. The winner goes against either No. 2 Duke or No. 15 Hampton in the Round of 32.

“It’s such a big deal,” freshman Sierra Campisano said. “It’s crazy. March Madness is my favorite thing in the entire world. My mom used to take me out of school to watch it. My freshman year, we’re in it. It’s very surreal.”

UConn (No. 1), Duke (No. 2) and Maryland (No. 3) are the top three teams in Bridgeport. Fellow Pac-12 team UCLA, a No. 4 seed, also landed the Bridgeport regional.

Graves called the moment special for the team. Monday marked the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005. And the last coach to guide the Ducks to March Madness, Bev Smith, was among those in the crowd.

“It’s amazing what this young team has done,” Graves said. “The staff — they’re the ones who really put this thing together. They’re making these players better … It’s gratifying because I really, truly believe in my heart that this is a program that’s going to continue to get better and better.”

The Ducks are going dancing! They earn a No. 10 seed and will face No. 7 Temple in Durham NC pic.twitter.com/YktmCOe3Ni

— Jonathan Hawthorne (@Jon_Hawthorne) March 13, 2017

Graves said the Ducks will take Tuesday off before likely departing Eugene on Wednesday or Thursday. Tipoff on Saturday is set for 3:30 PST on ESPN2.

“I don’t know much about Temple, but I know they’re in UConn’s league,” Graves said. “They have tradition and history. They’ll play great defense.”

Cal earned a No. 9 seed, giving the Pac-12 seven teams in the NCAA Tournament.

“That’s awesome,” Graves said. “It’s great for the league. It shows that we’re the toughest league in the country.”

Campisano said the rigors of Pac-12 play will give the Ducks an edge in March Madness.

“It prepared us really, really well,” Campisano said. “They just announced Oregon State as a No. 2 seed. UCLA is a four. We hung with these teams, and we beat a lot of them too. We’re definitely well-prepared.”

Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne

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