Iowa plays spoiler in Tampa, knocks out No. 1 Florida Gators
Florida’s bid to defend its national title ended Sunday night not far from home in Gainesville. The Gators had the crowd in Tampa, the momentum from a record-setting rout of Prairie View A&M on Friday and every reason to believe the path forward would be theirs.
The top-seeded Gators are stunned after No. 9 Iowa upsets them in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night in Tampa. ©Jefferee Woo Florida’s bid to defend its national title ended Sunday night not far from home in Gainesville.
The Gators had the crowd in Tampa, the momentum from a record-setting rout of Prairie View A&M on Friday and every reason to believe the path forward would be theirs. What they didn’t count on was Iowa — upright and unyielding as corn stalks — imposing a deliberate, relentless style that gave the Gators fits. Trailing by two points, Alvaro Folgueiras hit a 3-pointer with 4.
5 seconds remaining to give Iowa a 73-72 win over Florida in the second round of Sunday’s South Region in the NCAA Tournament. Folgueiras, who had been involved in an altercation that resulted in technical fouls for him and UF’s Alex Condon, stared at the partisan Florida crowd. The Gators’ Xaivian Lee dribbled the length of the court but his pass did not connect with Thomas Haugh as time expired.
Fellow No. 1 seeds Duke and Michigan had already advanced to the Sweet 16 Sunday and Arizona was on the way. The Gators entered having averaged 87 points per game in the regular season and SEC Tournament.