Iowa looked a little out of sorts during its win over FDU, but the motto in March is always to survive and advance.
It took everything Iowa had to stave off a historic upset, but they ultimately got it done, advancing to the Round of 32.
Iowa will take on Virginia, which presents unique defensive challenges for the Hawkeyes, given the zone defense they prefer.
A short time after the game against FDU concluded, Jan Jensen and the squad already jumped into the scouting report for Virginia, with Jensen providing a firery pep talk.
Jensen wants her squad to 'lean into the moment'
Jensen's stern message to the Hawkeyes during a timeout against FDU centered on Iowa embracing its opportunity and knowing it was better, stronger, and faster than FDU.
After going over the Virginia scout after the game, Jensen gave another intense pep talk to get the Hawkeyes hyped up for their second-round game.
Jan Jensen gave players a fiery pep talk last night after going over the Virginia scout.
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) March 22, 2026
Taylor Stremlow's recap: “The main theme was just to really lean into the moment. We have such a great opportunity here together as a team, and nobody really expected it from us. Obviously,…
According to guard Taylor Stremlow, Jensen told them to lean into the moment and embrace the opportunity they have in front of them.
Stremlow also said it looks like there is a lot of pressure on them, but they aren't feeling any of it. They have a standard, and they need to live up to that.
They want to go out and play freely and have fun.
Virginia plays a unique defense, using a lot of zone, but that could be a byproduct of its struggles on that end of the floor.
The Cavaliers rank No. 71 overall in adjusted defensive efficiency and are especially bad at defending the three-point line, ranking No. 322 overall.
If Iowa can move the ball on offense and hit some open shots, they have a good chance to advance to the Sweet 16.