The first men’s No. 1 seed has been eliminated. And they were the reigning champions.
No. 9 Iowa on Sunday took down the top-seeded Florida Gators 73-72 in their second-round matchup, making a statement on the March Madness stage.
Iowa led for the majority of the game, including a 12-point gap at one point in the middle of the first period. The Hawkeyes showed their intent with their energy early, too, before taking a 33-31 advantage at halftime.
They didn’t let up to start the second half, either, and it wasn’t until Florida put together a small 6-0 run that finally made things interesting and increased its belief of a comeback.
But just when Florida reclaimed the lead and thought it could run away it from there, the Hawkeyes just keep clawing back.
It culminated in a brilliantly executed full-court play with under 10 seconds that resulted in a Alvaro Folgueiras 3-pointer to seal the win.
Florida had just under five seconds to respond with a full-court play of its own. The intent was to use speed and create an open layup at the rim, but Iowa clogged the paint well to prevent a shot from even going up.
Four Hawkeyes scored double-digit points, led by Tavion Banks’ 20 on 7 of 10 shooting overall, though he made just 5 of 10 free throws to leave key points off the board.
Folgueiras, a junior forward from Spain and in his first year with Iowa, put up 14 points in 18 minutes off the bench to go with five rebounds, one assist and a steal with a 6-for-6 foul-line rate.
Florida had three double-digit scorers, though the bench impact was minimal. Alex Condon scored 21 points to go with seven assists, while Thomas Haugh, a potential first-round NBA draft pick, had 19 points but thanks to 11 of 12 free throws (3 of 11 from the field). Xaivian Lee added an efficient 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting overall.
The margins for both teams stayed close regarding shooting percentages, including other notable stats, so it became anyone’s game the more the clock approached all zeroes.
Iowa will now meet No. 4 Nebraska in the Sweet 16 after also knocking No. 8 Clemson in the opener, while the Gators will have to reflect on a disappointing repeat bid. It’s the Hawkeyes’ first Sweet 16 berth since 1999, and head coach Ben McCollum deserves plenty of praise for his efforts.