Iowa stuns Florida
Bracket chaos — No.9 Iowa knocked out No.1 Florida 73‑72 on a buzzer‑beating three from Álvaro Folgueiras in a shocker as the tournament heads into the Sweet 16. The upset is being cited as the biggest shock of the opening rounds as the men's Sweet 16 tips off March 26. ( )
Folgueiras received a pass from Bennett Stirtz in the corner and drained the triple with 4.5 seconds remaining in Tampa to decide the game. (CBS Sports: ) Iowa broke Florida’s full‑court press on the possession and Folgueiras was left wide open in the corner after the defense collapsed on Stirtz. (CBS Sports: ) The victory sent Iowa to its first Sweet 16 since 1999 and moved the Hawkeyes to 23‑12 on the season, while Florida finished 27‑8 and exited as the defending national champion. (CBS Sports: ) Tavion Banks led Iowa with 20 points, Folgueiras finished with 14 (including the winner) and Florida’s Alex Condon paced the Gators with 21 points in the game’s top scoring lines. (RealGM box score: ) A heated tie‑up in the first half between Folgueiras and Alex Condon sparked a scuffle that drew double technicals and provoked a sideline altercation between coaches Ben McCollum and Todd Golden. (AP via ESPN recap: ) McCollum, hired as Iowa’s head coach in March 2025 after stops at Northwest Missouri State and a season at Drake, has already reunited with guard Bennett Stirtz — who followed him to Iowa — and played a central role in the upset run. (University of Iowa athletics release: ) Iowa’s next matchup is a Sweet 16 meeting with No. 4 seed Nebraska at the Toyota Center in Houston on March 26, with tip time and TV set by the tournament schedule. (ESPN game page / NCAA bracket: )
