Final 8.9 seconds doom Florida in upset tournament loss to Iowa
Florida's quest to repeat as NCAA Tournament champions ended in the second round when it couldn't get a shot off as time expired against Iowa.
TAMPA — And so Florida’s national championship defense ended with 8. 9 seconds of stunningly poor execution, a sequence that left coach Todd Golden simply standing still with his arms folded on the sideline as Iowa celebrated its 73-72 upset win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 22. Leading by two points, Golden wanted the Gators to foul on Iowa’s final possession, which started with 8.
9 seconds remaining. They didn’t … and paid for it. And Golden would have preferred guard Xaivian Lee drive the basketball strong to hoop to draw a foul or hit the winning lay-up as time expired.
He didn’t … and paid for it. Just like that, the Gators’ chance at repeating for the second time in school history vanished without the basketball even so much as approaching the bucket. This was supposed to be just the first weekend of a three-week joy ride for the Gators and their fans.
The first stop was basically two home games in Tampa, followed by trips to Houston and Indianapolis. Were the Gators as good as Arizona, Michigan or even Michigan State? No, but UF would have had a puncher’s chance.
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