Florida rallied back in the second half to make things interesting, but it was too little too late for the defending champs.
An enjoyable game, as you will find in March Madness, as the top-ranked reigning NCAA Men's Basketball champs, the Florida Gators, squared off against the #9-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA South second round.
There was a moment in the second half where it looked as if the Hawkeyes had taken a stranglehold on the Gators, but by the nine-minute mark, the Gators had reenergized themselves to clinch a small lead.
With three and a half minutes to go in the second half, there had already been three lead changes in the game.
What made it a tense atmosphere for Gators fans in Tampa on Sunday night was when Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras sank a three-point shot to take a 73-72 win, which left 4.5 seconds on the clock.
How did the Gators respond?
They unfortunately would not get a shot in time, as the Hawkeyes advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 by knocking off the defending champs.
The Gators came into Sunday night's matchup with a lot of confidence, and why would they not? They were coming off a blowout win over No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M in the first round, scoring a tournament high 114 points in the win.
48 hours later, the Gators met a challenge that made them look like a far cry from that dominant win a few nights ago, but that is why it's called March Madness. The maddening upset has sent a message through the rest of the tournament: there will be no repeat champion in 2026.
Despite the loss, Florida still put up competitive numbers, proving that if Iowa were going to win this one, they would have to earn it. Junior forward Alex Condon led Florida with 21 points, with Thomas Haugh adding 19 points. Xavian Lee scored 17 points.
The matchup took place in Tampa in front of a very pro-Florida crowd. However, the loss to the Hawkeyes snapped UF’s nine-game NCAA Tournament win streak in the state of Florida, dating back to 2003.
The Gators will head back to Gainesville after a 27-8 season. The Hawkeyes now shift their focus to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday night.
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