Dawn Staley Congratulates Virginia On Their Big Win Over No.2 Seeded Iowa

Virginia became the first team to win a first four game and advance to the Sweet 16

South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley gives instructions down court Sunday, March 8, 2026, during the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament Championship game against the Texas Longhorns at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Virginia basketball scored perhaps the upset of the tournament today when they were able to take down No. 2 seeded Iowa and advance to the Sweet 16, becoming the first team ever in the Women's Tournament to win a first four game and advance to the Regional Semifinals.

Virginia is set to face TCU on Saturday and there is still a possibility that if UVA were to upset the Horned Frogs, they could see South Carolina in the Elite Eight. The Gamecocks are of course coached by legendary Virginia guard Dawn Staley and after the Cavaliers took down the Hawkeyes, she congratulated her alma mater on the victory.

Congrats @UVACoachMox @UVAWomensHoops! #WAHOOWA

— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) March 23, 2026

South Carolina is looking to advance to the Sweet 16 themselves when they face No. 9 seeded USC tonight.

Virginia's focus is going to be on TCU this week, but one can only think of the matchup that could be waiting in the elite eight.

Staley went on to a four-year career at the University of Virginia that featured three trips to the NCAA Final Four, including a championship game appearance in 1991 after which she was named Most Outstanding Player. A two-time National Player of the Year (1991, 1992) and three-time Kodak All-American (1990, 1991, 1992), Staley was the ACC Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992 and the league’s Rookie of the Year in 1989.

Finishing her career as the only player in ACC history – male or female – to record more than 2,000 points, 700 rebounds, 700 assists and 400 steals, Staley is one of three players at Virginia to have her jersey retired. She was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Women’s Basketball Team in 2002 and earned a spot on ESPN.com’s “Top Players of the Past 25 Years.” In April 2008, she was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

In 25 seasons as a head coach, Staley has led her college teams to 15 25-win seasons, a total of 21 postseason appearances (two WNIT) and 239 weeks in the Associated Press top 10, including 86 in the No. 1 spot – the third most times in the top spot in the history of that poll. Her .773 winning percentage (647-190) ranks seventh in the nation among active head coaches with at least 15 years of experience and ninth all-time.

Today was a great moment for Virginia Women's basketball and they have a chance to make it even sweeter this Saturday against the Horned Frogs.