Kymora Johnson as Virginia stuns No. 2 Iowa in 2OT, Sweet 16 bracket reshaped
kymora johnson lands at the center of a suddenly shaken Women’s March Madness picture after No. 10 seed Virginia took down No. 2 seed Iowa in double overtime on Monday, March 24, 2026 (ET). The second round of the women’s NCAA tournament wrapped with a final day that delivered multiple upsets alongside dominant wins from top seeds. The headline result: Virginia’s 83–75 (2 OT) win over Iowa to reach the program’s first Sweet 16 since 2000.
Virginia’s double-overtime upset jolts the bracket
Virginia didn’t just survive a tight finish — it pushed Iowa to double overtime and won on the road at Carver Hawkeye Arena. The final score was Virginia 83, Iowa 75 (2 OT), with the Cavaliers advancing as a No. 10 seed and stepping into the role of a rare tournament Cinderella in the women’s field.
It capped a day that began with another close call: Louisville 69, Alabama 68. As the night progressed, more results locked in Sweet 16 tickets across the bracket, including a key upset win by Notre Dame and a sequence of commanding victories by several high seeds.
In the rest of Monday’s completed second-round slate (ET): Notre Dame 83, Ohio State 73; Kentucky 74, West Virginia 73; UConn 98, Syracuse 45; Vanderbilt 75, Illinois 57; South Carolina 101, USC 61; and UCLA 87, Oklahoma State 68.
UCLA, UConn, and South Carolina cruise — and a superstar stat line emerges
While Virginia’s shocker grabbed attention, the top of the bracket looked steady. No. 1 seeds UConn, UCLA, and South Carolina all advanced with emphatic wins, each controlling its game and moving on without late drama.
UCLA’s win came with a historic individual note: Lauren Betts produced a line that placed her alongside Caitlin Clark on a rare NCAA Tournament list dating back to the 2009–10 season. The mark: an NCAA Tournament game with at least 35 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Betts achieved it in her final home game at Pauley Pavilion, powering UCLA into the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive season.
At UConn, the Huskies blitzed Syracuse early — a 33–8 first-quarter lead — and rolled to a 98–45 win. Azzi Fudd matched a career-high 34 points, shooting 72% from the floor and 73% from deep on eight 3-point attempts, while adding four steals, five assists, and three rebounds in 28 minutes.
Immediate reactions from the floor
“Tonight was really special, ” Azzi Fudd, UConn guard, University of Connecticut, said on after the win (Monday, March 24, 2026 ET).
The results also underline a broader shift in the day’s narrative: kymora johnson is now tied to the moment the bracket turned from “mostly chalk” to genuine chaos, as Virginia’s double-overtime breakthrough forced every remaining contender to take a fresh look at the path ahead.
Quick context
Monday’s second-round games followed a first weekend that was described as largely chalky, before the final day brought multiple upsets. Virginia’s win sends the Cavaliers to the program’s first Sweet 16 since 2000.
What’s next
The Sweet 16 field is set with a mix of heavy favorites and momentum teams, and the next round will determine whether the power programs can keep cruising or if the upset wave grows. With Virginia now through after the 2OT stunner, kymora johnson remains the name pinned to the night the tournament’s script changed — and the next set of games will show whether that shake-up was a one-off jolt or the start of something bigger.
