March Madness! Top Seed Florida Upset by 9 Seed Iowa
TAMPA — What could have been a sweet victory for the Gators will leave a sour taste in their mouths after their reign as national champions came to a stunning end Sunday night.
No. 1 seed Florida men’s basketball was upset by nine seed Iowa, 73-72, at Benchmark International Arena in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gators trailed by 12 points in the second half before making a surging comeback.
Despite the push, Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras drained a 3-pointer from the corner with just 4.5 seconds for a Florida miracle.
Instead of a less-than-rare March Madness buzzer beater, Florida’s Xaivian Lee turned the ball over on an inside pass attempt to Thomas Haugh.
The Gators, one of the fastest-paced teams in the nation — averaging a whopping 15.7 transition points per game — expected to keep their foot on the gas coming off their record-breaking first-round victory Friday night.
Instead, it was an all-out dog fight between the two programs that ended in shock. Florida (27-8) had yet to face Iowa (23-12) ahead of Sunday’s matchup, and the first contest was incredibly tight — to say the least.
The Gators took the lead for the first time since trailing at the game’s 4:24 mark. The teams traded 3-pointers before Haugh and Alex Condon turned on the heat, but failed to get the job done.
“We had a little run where we got in sync,” Condon said. “I played the right way for a good period of time, but we just didn’t play up to our capabilities.”
Haugh scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half, including two from beyond the arc. Haugh shot 0-for-4 in the first half, which played a major factor in Florida’s two-point deficit at the break.
Condon posted a 21-point showing, including 14 in the final 20 minutes of play at a perfect 100% clip (6-for-6).
Each time the Gators were able to put any points on the board, the Hawkeyes responded with an even greater answer — including in the final possession.
Florida trailed by as many as 10 in the first half after failing to capitalize on its five steals and much quicker pace of play. It closed out the half shooting 37% from the field to the Hawkeyes’ 48%.
The Gators went into the break trailing by two.
Condon used the window for two with 13:56 to go, but Iowa’s Cooper Koch answered with a triple, prompting UF coach Todd Golden to use a timeout after facing a 12-point deficit.
That same timeout ignited a fire into the Gators.
Haugh rose for a 3, which added his first field goal of the night. The Gators narrowed Iowa’s lead thanks to an Urban Klavzar back-door dish to Condon at the 10:41 mark.
“We just wanted to create a little more tempo and try to see if we can make them more uncomfortable offensively,” Golden said. “We wanted to make them play a little sped up and it bothered them a little bit. Obviously, they were less effective down the stretch so maybe we should’ve gone to it a little bit earlier.”
Golden’s club had been highly rated regarding its rebounding and play in the paint — but both were less than a factor Sunday.
The Gators came into the Round of 32 averaging 45.6 rebounds per game, ranked No. 1 in the nation. While Iowa can be found at No. 357 in the same category, it out-rebounded Florida 18-14 after 20 minutes of play.
The Hawkeyes ultimately reeled in 27 rebounds, 17 coming on the defensive end.
Iowa’s Tavion Banks came out of the win with 20 points, despite posting just 10.3 tallies per game. He shot 70% from the field against Florida after carrying a 33% clip against Clemson in the Hawkeyes’ victory in the Round of 64.
The contest quickly turned chippy after Condon got tied up with Folgueiras 11:26 in. The two forwards were both hit with a technical fouls, sending thousands of fans from the Gator faithful into a frenzy. Players and coaches from each squad had to be separated prior to the near-five minute stoppage.
The scuffle is a microcosm of Sunday’s showdown. Iowa came out of the gate with seemingly much more physicality than Florida anticipated, muscling 32 points in the paint.
“It’s a tough one,” Condon said. “We’ll remember this feeling for a while. I’m just going to use it as motivation. I think it’s going to make us better players individually, just to know what this feeling is like.”
Rueben Chinyelu, No. 2 in the country in rebounding, was kept scoreless. He notched 13 rebounds in Florida’s victory against Prairie View A&M, but had little to no success against Iowa. The junior picked up his fourth foul with upward of 12 minutes remaining.
“We were not strong enough around the rim in the first half, nor were we able to get any deep-post catches,” Golden said. “A lot of his opportunities are on the glass as well and no offensive rebounds tonight. The combination of that was the reason why he was not as effective as well.”
After an impressive regular season stretch, the Gators go home shocked. There will be many questions regarding the future of Florida’s star power, but for now, it will head back to Gainesville without the much-anticipated flight to Houston on the agenda.
“It’s a tough way to go out but I’m really proud of my group. I love these guys, they did a great job for us all year,” Golden said. “It’s a tough one for us to swallow. We’ll be thinking about this one for a while.”
Iowa faces four seed Nebraska (28-6) in the Sweet 16 at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday at a time to be decided, its first appearance in the Round of 16 since 2015. Nebraska, also of the Big Ten, eliminated five seed Vanderbilt, 74-72, in the second round Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Men's Basketball
