Virginia beat Iowa 83-75 in double overtime on Sunday, and the women's tournament got the kind of upset that rewrites bracket logic. The 10-seed Cavaliers, who played their way out of the First Four just days earlier, became the first team in tournament history to go from the opening round to the Sweet 16 through that path. Iowa, the second seed and a preseason Final Four pick, went home. [1] [2]

The game was decided by endurance. Kymora Johnson, Virginia's sophomore guard, played all 50 minutes. She scored 14 of her 26 points in the two overtime periods, including a step-back three with 1:12 remaining in the second overtime that gave Virginia a lead Iowa never recovered. Johnson shot 9-for-22 from the floor and 4-for-9 from three. The stat line is good. The fact that she did it across 50 minutes of tournament basketball without coming off the court is extraordinary. [1] [3]

Iowa's collapse was structural, not emotional. The Hawkeyes led by seven with four minutes remaining in regulation and missed four consecutive free throws in the final two minutes. In the first overtime, Iowa had two possessions with a chance to win and turned the ball over both times. In the second overtime, Johnson took over and the Hawkeyes ran out of answers. [2] [3]

For Virginia head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, the win validates a rebuild that few outside Charlottesville believed in. The Cavaliers went 10-20 two seasons ago. They entered this tournament as one of the last four teams selected. They are now four wins from the championship. [1]

The upset reshapes the regional bracket. TCU, a three-seed, becomes the highest remaining seed in Virginia's quadrant and the prohibitive favorite to reach the Final Four. Whether Virginia can sustain the magic of double-overtime basketball against fresher opponents is the question the Sweet 16 will answer. [3]

In a week dominated by war, gas prices, and protest marches, Virginia reminded the country that March still belongs to basketball. [2]

-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos