Alvaro Folgueiras' triple with four seconds left will be etched in Hawkeye history until the end of time.
The waiting is over.
For the first time in 27 years, the Iowa men's basketball team is heading to the Sweet 16 after upsetting the top-seeded and defending national champion Florida Gators, 73-72, at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida on Sunday evening.
Tavion Banks led the way with 20 points, but the hero for the Hawkeyes was junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras. Trailing 72-70 with seconds left, the Robert Morris transfer buried a wide-open three in the corner.
Florida didn't even get a shot off on its final possession, and the 2025-26 Iowa Hawkeyes are etched in Hawkeye history until the end of time.
Here's how it all went down.
First Half
After not attempting an alley-oop in the entire Clemson game, Kael Combs tried to give the Hawkeyes a spark on their first possession by lobbing it to Tavion Banks. The attempt was read perfectly by Florida, which scored an easy layup on the other end.
The pace of play continued to speed up in the early portion of the half, but the Hawkeyes held their own. Florida missing open shots helped, but Iowa was not making anything easy for it. Bennett Stirtz made 3 of his first 4 shots, and the third gave the Hawks a surprising 17-12 lead at the under-12 timeout.
The Gators were obviously frustrated at this point, and it all boiled down to a simple rebound. Alvaro Folgueiras was tied up by Florida center Alex Condon, who then chucked him to the ground as they fought for the ball. Both head coaches were screaming at one another, and the officials took a look at the play.
A double technical foul was called on both players, much to the chagrin of Gator coach Todd Golden. The Florida fans made noise to rally their team, but it only fueled Iowa's confidence. The Hawks showed little fear driving into the trees, and Tavion Banks' layup increased Iowa's lead to 23-13 with eight minutes left in the half.
Xaivian Lee broke the Gators' 9:30 field goal drought with a triple, and Florida slowly began to crawl back. Boogie Fland tied the game at 31, but Combs fired back with a tough bucket to give the underdog Hawkeyes a 33-31 halftime lead.
Second Half
Winning the first four minutes would be crucial for Iowa, and it did just that. The Hawkeyes went 1-for-11 from three point range in the first half, but Banks and Cooper Koch each knocked down a triple, helping Iowa take a 44-37 lead at the first media timeout.
The Hawkeyes continued to ramp up the pressure from there, and Koch gave Iowa its largest lead of the game, 51-39. Koch released a jubilant roar after the shot went through, and Florida called a timeout.
Iowa maintained that sizable edge over the next block, but foul trouble quickly began to be an issue for the Hawkeyes. Folgueiras picked up his fourth foul before the under-12 timeout, while Koch and Manyawu had three each. This allowed the Gators to reach the bonus very early in the game and get points without the clock moving.
Cam Manyawu had two chances to give Iowa the momentum back, but they both resulted in unfortunate endings. The junior dribbled the ball off his foot while racing for a potential dunk, and then had an open layup blocked. Florida canned a three on the other end, and the Hawkeyes' lead was down to one.
Gator fans thought this would be the juncture where their team would pull away, but Iowa wasn't having any of that. Koch buried two threes, with the later giving Iowa a 66-65 lead.
But that's when the free throw miscues occurred. Banks and Manyawu each missed the front end of a one-and-one, which proved very costly to the Hawkeyes.
Florida led by three points in the final minute, but the resurgent Iowa team wouldn't go away. Trailing by two, Folgueiras produced the moment Hawkeye fans have waited for for nearly three decades.
The Hawkeyes are still dancing.
Up Next
Iowa will take on the rival No. 4 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers in Houston, Texas. The game is scheduled for Thursday, March 26. Game time will be announced at a later date.
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