This year, Cinderella wears orange and blue.
Virginia women’s basketball has become one of the biggest stories of the NCAA Tournament after going from the First Four to the Sweet 16 — a feat that has never been accomplished before.
The charismatic 10-seed Cavaliers are still playing, several rounds beyond where many thought they would exit. The Cinderella run continues Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against TCU in Sacramento, Calif., with Virginia having nothing to lose.
The three-seed Horned Frogs will be a difficult opponent, though ranked lower than two-seed Iowa, which the Cavaliers eliminated Monday.
TCU is led by a familiar superstar — graduate guard Olivia Miles, formerly an ACC headliner and three-time All-American at Notre Dame. Miles, the 2025-26 Big 12 Player of the Year, is coming off a historic triple-double stat line in a win over UC San Diego in the Round of 64.
Miles is the epicenter of this Horned Frogs team. The obvious key to upending TCU is to contain Miles, though that is easier said than done.
Aside from Miles, TCU is the Big 12 regular season champion for a reason. They feature other contributors too — namely graduate forward Marta Suarez, who spent two years in the ACC at California and three in the SEC at Tennessee. Miles and Suarez, both First Team All-Big 12 honorees, are joined by junior guard and All-Defensive Team Donovyn Hunter, a versatile contributor with top-tier passing abilities. Altogether, that trio has averaged 46.8 points per game.
The Horned Frogs are directed by Coach Mark Campbell, who has led them to two straight seasons with 30-plus wins. Campbell was the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2024-25 — his program went to the Elite Eight that season.
However, Virginia is much better equipped to dispatch the Horned Frogs than many other teams. Against Miles, the Cavaliers deploy junior guard Kymora Johnson — one of the NCAA Tournament’s brightest stars thus far.
Johnson is battle-tested, having scrapped with Iowa’s graduate guard Kylie Feuerbach, a Big Ten All-Defensive Team star and one of the best defenders in the country. Johnson has also played 39-plus minutes in each of Virginia’s three NCAA Tournament games this year. Johnson’s stamina and energy will be a major challenge for Miles defensively.
Ultimately, the key for the Cavaliers is not just to hinder Miles but to adjust their defensive schemes as the game goes on.
For example, in the Cavaliers’ first-round win over Georgia, their defense keyed in on sophomore guard Dani Carnegie. A First Team All-SEC star, Carnegie can completely take over a game. Instead, Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton forced the Lady Bulldogs to move the ball elsewhere.
The defensive focus on Carnegie did lead to several open shots for junior guard Rylie Theuerkauf — but Virginia adjusted to focus on her as Carnegie was struggling to kick into high gear. Sophomore forward Mia Woolfolk then started dominating in the paint, but the Cavaliers could live with that, given their stellar shot blocking capabilities.
Theuerkauf and Woolfolk finished with gaudy statistics, while Carnegie had just eight points and finished 0-7 from three-point distance in 43 minutes of play. Georgia, which was a much superior team statistically in the regular season, struggled to adjust to what Virginia threw at them.
The Cavaliers will need to divert most of their attention to Miles, then counter whoever steps up from long distance and force forwards like Suarez to grind in the paint against one of the nation’s top interior defenses.
Virginia has the talent in its roster to win this basketball game. Forwards in senior Tabitha Amanze and sophomore Adeang Ring — both checking in over 6-foot-4 — present a massive challenge for opposing offenses. Their size also allows the Cavalier guards to play more aggressive defense, with ample backup behind them if they falter.
Offensively, Virginia has battled inconsistency, but it can overwhelm opponents when the team fires on all cylinders. Aside from Johnson, senior guard Paris Clark has the ability to take over a game, as evidenced by her solo 8-0 run to come back against the Hawkeyes. Junior forward Sa’Myah Smith can also make an impact, as displayed in her 23-point outburst against the Lady Bulldogs.
TCU is currently favored by 9.5 points — a figure that seems too low for the Big 12 regular season champions yet also too high for a Cavalier squad that has seemingly taken over the NCAA Tournament.
The Horned Frogs only beat Washington 62-59 in overtime, a surprising final score given that the Huskies are a 22-win team and that TCU played on its home floor. In that contest, the Horned Frogs scored just six points in the second quarter.
If Virginia’s season ends here, though, it will likely have little effect on how its historic run will be remembered. The Cavaliers have nothing to lose — and everything to gain. A program that went 5-22 four seasons ago is now one game away from the Elite Eight.
“I knew [rebuilding the program] was going to be a large task, and it was no small feat,” Agugua-Hamilton said after beating Iowa. “But at the same time, I knew we were going to get it done. I didn't know when … I'm just blessed to be a part of leading these young women to help them reach their dreams and goals and leave a legacy.”
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