‘Nobody’s Tired in March’: No. 10 Virginia Stuns Its Way From First Four to Sweet 16

The Hoos prevailed 83–75 in double overtime against No. 2 Iowa on Monday to become the biggest underdog in the women’s Sweet 16.

Virginia guard Kymora Johnson (center) led her team in points on Monday as the Hoos tooks down Iowa in Iowa City. | Matthew Holst/Getty Images

On Saturday, after No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson seriously threatened No. 2 Iowa, FDU coach Stephanie Gaitley mused that women’s college basketball might be ready for early tournament games to be at neutral sites. There’s a sort of charm in having the opening weekend hosted by top seeds. It’s just that none of that charm is ever directed toward potential Cinderellas.

“I think the women’s game has grown enough that we can start to pursue doing that,” said Gaitley, who’d have been the first women’s No. 15 to knock off a No. 2. “This is a game that maybe we steal if it's not on the home court.”

Fairleigh Dickinson could not quite steal that one. But No. 10 Virginia had a chance to steal the next one against Iowa. The Hoos prevailed 83–75 in double overtime on Monday in Iowa City to become the biggest underdog in the women’s Sweet 16. Down by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, Virginia battled to force one overtime, then another, before edging out the win to silence a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

Virginia has played more basketball than anyone in the last week. The Hoos had to beat Arizona State in the First Four to get to the main bracket. They required OT for their first-round matchup with No. 7 Georgia. That next came 2OT against Iowa suggests a very lengthy game if their pattern holds versus No. 3 TCU in the Sweet 16. And Virginia showed a scrappy, adaptable team against Iowa that has punched above its weight for its deepest tournament run in a quarter of a century.

“Nobody's tired in March,” UVA coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “That’s for sure.” 

But if anyone were to be tired, Kymora Johnson would have a good case. She has played nearly every minute of this surprising tournament run for the Cavaliers. Against Iowa, she did not sub out even once, logging all 50 minutes of regulation and both overtimes while playing her third game in four days. Normally the leading scorer here—the only player on this roster to average double figures—Johnson had an uncharacteristically quiet first half with eight points and five turnovers. But as time wound down, and pressure rose, Johnson kept cutting and driving and floating.

The junior guard finished with 28 points, including the tying three to send it to OT, and six of eight points in the first overtime including the crucial tying jumper.

CLUTCHHHH 🤩 @KymoraJohnson_ #MarchMadness x 🎥 ESPN / @UVAWomensHoops pic.twitter.com/OiIEKzxnh5

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 23, 2026

Johnson’s is a story made for March. A hometown kid from Charlottesville, she grew up less than two miles from the University of Virginia, and she was initially adamant that she wanted to play anywhere else. “I gave it a couple rings,” she joked about getting (and screening) early calls from Agugua-Hamilton. The coach had to drive past Johnson’s house every time she left campus at the end of the day. But it would be months before she had a chance to go inside and begin recruiting her: Johnson took a while to seriously entertain conversations with Agugua-Hamilton. Once she did, however, she decided that she did not want to have many other conversations.

“I knew this was where I was destined to be,” she said. “I followed my heart and it led me to Virginia.”

Which led her, three years later, to Iowa City, where UVA had to win three games in a row to move on to the Sweet 16. And this last one was not a game set up for a win. Virginia was outrebounded by Iowa. The Hoos turned the ball over more. They got outscored in the paint and trailed for more collective time across 10 lead changes and 13 ties. Iowa was more experienced and more dominant in the paint and, of course, more comfortable on its home court. But it was Virginia that proved itself peskier and more resilient down the stretch.   

“We took 20 more shots and we weren’t able to win it,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said. “Usually when you win in March, someone is going to make big plays. They made some really big plays.”

It’s harder to play on the road. But it’s also a lot more fun if you can pull it off. 

“This is what you dream of as a kid,” Johnson said afterward, grinning, towel around her shoulders. “Playing in front of 15,000 people—that was insane. Credit to Iowa’s fans.”  

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