Iowa Stunned By Virginia in NCAA Tournament Thriller

The Iowa Hawkeyes’ season has come to an end at the hands of the Virginia Cavaliers.

Iowa, which entered the contest as the heavy favorite, failed to put away Virginia down the stretch, allowing the Cavaliers to come back from a 9-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

As such, Virginia, thanks to a 28-point effort by star guard Kymora Johnson, came away with a gritty 83-75 victory in double overtime to advance to the Sweet 16 and send Iowa’s season into the bin.

The loss ended what was an overall good campaign for Iowa. Led by Ava Heiden and Chazadi Wright, the Hawkeyes finished second in the Big Ten and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Still, all those accomplishments weren’t enough to uplift Jan Jensen’s squad over a gritty Virginia team that played one of its best games of the season.

Virginia's Poise Won it the Game

Feb 22, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Kymora Johnson (21) celebrates after time expires against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Virginia is no stranger to winning close games. The team beat Arizona State 57-55 in the First Four and took down Georgia 82-73 in overtime in the first round on March 21.

The Cavaliers’ ability to keep their poise, even when they were down late in the fourth quarter, helped them pull off the upset against the Hawkeyes. As such, they’re moving on to the Sweet 16, while Iowa, despite having the support of a sellout crowd in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, is not.

Iowa’s inability to contain Johnson, who is one of the most tenacious scorers in the entire ACC, lit up the box score. Add in great production from Paris Clark (20 points) and Romi Levy (13), and that was enough to get the victory.

It's on to Next Year for Iowa

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Jan Jensen celebrates Saturday, March 7, 2026, during a Big Ten women's basketball tournament semifinals game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Michigan Wolverines, 59-42. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Hawkeyes finish the season 27-7. It can be argued that their final three games were some of their worst performances of the campaign, too. They were blown out 96-45 in the Big Ten tournament championship game by UCLA and then escaped 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the Big Dance. Then came today’s loss to Virginia, a disappointing affair that ended a promising season.

Virginia advances to face TCU in the Sweet 16 in Sacramento at the Golden 1 Center. The winner of that contest will move on to the Elite Eight, where a spot in the Final Four will be on the line. The Horned Frogs will be the overwhelming favorite in that game, though, with how Virginia has played so far in the NCAA tournament, there’s no telling how that matchup will go.

For Iowa, all the focus will be on how Jan Jensen and company can make it further in the NCAA Tournament in the 2026-27 season.

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