Iowa Upsets Florida, Advances to Sweet 16 for First Time Since 1999

The Iowa Hawkeyes achieved a stunning upset victory over the heavily favored Florida Gators with a 73-72 win.

This victory advanced Iowa to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.

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The No. 9 seed Hawkeyes defeated the No. 1 seed Gators in a dramatic contest that came down to the final seconds.

Iowa led for more than 26 minutes of the game before Florida made a late surge.

The thrilling conclusion saw the underdog Hawkeyes prevail in Tampa, Florida.

The game's decisive moment came when Alvaro Folgueiras hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 4 seconds remaining.

This shot gave Iowa the one-point lead they needed to secure the victory.

KGAN

After Iowa broke Florida's full-court press, Folgueiras found himself wide open in the corner.

The play was originally designed for Bennett Stirtz but the defense converged on him, leading him to pass to his teammate.

The Gators failed to get off a final shot attempt, sealing Iowa's dramatic comeback victory.

Several standout performances powered Iowa's victory.

Tavion Banks led the team with 20 points while Bennett Stirtz added 13 points, 1 assist, and 5 rebounds.

Alvaro Folgueiras contributed 14 points, including the game-winning shot.

Cooper Koch scored 12 points for the Hawkeyes.

For Florida, Alex Condon led all scorers with 21 points, Thomas Haugh added 19 points, and Xaivian Lee finished with 17 points.

The Gators' shooting struggles in the first half allowed Iowa to build a significant lead.

This victory marked a significant milestone for Iowa basketball.

It ended a 27-year drought since their last Sweet 16 appearance in 1999.

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The win represented a rare upset in NCAA Tournament history.

Iowa became the first No. 9 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed since 2018 when Florida State shocked Xavier.

The Hawkeyes' achievement was particularly noteworthy given their status as a double-digit seed.

Their advancement set up a matchup against No. 4 seed Nebraska in Houston.

The game was not without controversy, featuring a technical foul incident.

With 8:34 remaining in the first half, both Alvaro Folgueiras and Alex Condon received Class A Technical Fouls.

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The incident began when Folgueiras attempted to secure a defensive rebound and Condon tried to tie him up.

Both players were sent to the ground during the play.

What initially appeared to be Folgueiras throwing a punch was actually him striking the ball without making contact with Condon.

A scuffle ensued with both head coaches entering to separate their players.

Following the dramatic victory, Iowa head coach Ben McCollum praised his team's resilience.

McCollum stated 'They fight, they compete, they exemplify everything we want in Iowa basketball.'

He highlighted the team's 'irrational confidence' after learning Stirtz specifically asked for the ball to be passed to Folgueiras.

The Hawkeyes expressed excitement about their continued tournament run.

One player noted 'We have to keep going. We are one of the 16 best teams in the country. We're still hungry.'

Florida head coach Todd Golden acknowledged his team's disappointing result but credited Iowa's performance.