How sweet it is! Takeaways as Iowa stuns Florida for Sweet 16 ticket
Iowa found a way! Takeaways as the Hawkeyes upset the Florida Gators in a stunner to punch a ticket to the Sweet 16 and shake up March Madness.
How sweet it is! The Iowa Hawkeyes are going back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 with an absolutely stunning upset of the No. 1-seeded Florida Gators, the defending national champs, in a pseudo-home game in Tampa, Florida, by a score of 73-72.
In a game that was testy, physical, and saw both teams trade haymakers throughout, the Iowa Hawkeyes found a way late to get the necessary stops and hit clutch shots down the stretch. Not only did Iowa come up big late, but the Hawkeyes dominated this game from start to end. Iowa shot 51% to Florida's 50%; they made seven threes to Florida's six.
Against one of the country's tallest teams, Iowa tied them 27-27 on the boards, and, arguably most important, they outscored them 32-30 in the paint. This game now sets up one of the most incredible games in Sweet 16 history as the Iowa Hawkeyes stare down the trilogy against the rival Nebraska Cornhuskers . Iowa was never afraid or intimidated From the jump, Iowa never blinked or was even once scared of the big, bad defending champs, who had the size, better roster, and were playing essentially a home game just a few hours from campus.
Ben McCollum had this team fired up and ready to go. After some angsty moments in the first half, Ben McCollum got behind his roster and let some emotions show. Iowa responded to this, and it showed by beating Florida in its own game of physicality, points in the paint, and rebounding.