By Blessing Nweke
A dramatic late three-pointer from Alvaro Folgueiras lifted the Iowa Hawkeyes to a stunning 73-72 victory over the defending champions, the Florida Gators, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
With just 4.5 seconds remaining, Folgueiras found himself wide open in the corner after Iowa broke Florida’s full-court press with ease. He calmly knocked down the decisive shot, completing a late rally that sent the top-seeded Gators crashing out of this year’s tournament. Florida became the first No. 1 seed eliminated in the competition.
Under first-year head coach Ben McCollum, Iowa’s remarkable run continues as the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015. The team showed resilience after surrendering a 12-point second-half lead, regrouping in the closing minutes to snatch victory from a tense contest.
Florida appeared poised to escape with a win after Xaivian Lee’s driving layup gave them a 71-68 advantage with under two minutes to play. However, Bennett Stirtz responded with a crucial floater to narrow the deficit to one point with 57 seconds left.
The final moments were frantic. After missed opportunities on both ends, Iowa’s Isaiah Brown grabbed a key rebound and converted one of two free throws, setting the stage for the decisive possession.
Florida had one last chance, but a desperate drive by Lee ended in a mishandled pass to Thomas Haugh as time expired, sealing the Gators’ fate and completing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets so far.
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