Sweet 16 shocks
Iowa is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 — and the only double‑digit seed left in the men’s bracket is No. 11 Texas, which opens against No. 2 Purdue Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS/March Madness Live ( ). CBS Sports says this tournament just posted its most‑watched first weekend ever — the national appetite is huge going into tonight’s Sweet 16 (cbssports.com).
Alvaro Folgueiras drilled a corner 3 in the closing seconds to lift Iowa to a 73-72 win over defending champion Florida, knocking the Gators out of the tournament. (sports.yahoo.com) The victory improved Iowa to 23-12 and followed an eight-second inbounds play in which Bennett Stirtz found Folgueiras for the final shot. (dailyiowan.com) Iowa’s reward is a regional semifinal matchup against No. 4 Nebraska in Houston on Thursday as the Hawkeyes try to extend a rare March run. (hawkcentral.com) Texas reached this round after a 74-68 win over Gonzaga, completing a stretch that began in the First Four and included three tournament victories in five days. (msn.com) Longhorns coach Sean Miller publicly pushed back on the “Cinderella” tag despite Texas being the lone double‑digit seed left, emphasizing the team’s strength of schedule and resilience this season. (cbssports.com) CBS and Turner reported historic audience figures for the opening weekend, citing a 10.7 million average across the first week and a first‑round average of about 9.5 million viewers. (cbssports.com)
