Late Iowa 3-Pointer Eliminates No. 1 Seed Florida

The Florida Gators will not get a second chance at back-to-back National Championships. Playing just down the road from their campus in Tampa, Todd Golden‘s team got sent home by a late three-pointer from Iowa.

Styles make fights, and Iowa slowed down Florida in the first half to turn it into a rock fight. The Hawkeyes led for almost the entire first half and built up a 12-point lead at the 14-minute mark. It was not meant to last.

You could feel the momentum in the arena tilting toward Florida. The Gators stormed back to take the lead, but Iowa wouldn’t go down without a fight, even when it looked like the game was lost.

Iowa’s star Bennett Stirtz cut the deficit to one with a minute to play, but he couldn’t get a go-ahead bucket to fall with 11 seconds left. Xaivian Lee, a 77% free throw shooter, had a chance to make it a 3-point game, but left the door cracked with one miss. That’s when Stirtz got unselfish.

With nine seconds remaining, he got a full head of steam to sprint the length of the floor. He found Alvaro Folgueiras, a one-time Kentucky transfer portal target, in the corner for an open three. He buried it to give the Hawkeyes a one-point lead. Florida had four seconds, but couldn’t get a shot off. Game, blouses.

ARE. YOU. JOKING.

IOWA LEADS. THIS IS MARCH. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/sNDHTqaGj1

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2026

“March is for the dreamers,” Folgueiras said after his big shot, “and there’s no better dreamers than us.”

Folgueiras had 14 points and five rebounds, Tavion Banks led Iowa with 20 points, while Stirtz was limited to just 13 points on 16 shot attempts.

Florida shot 50% from the field, but the Gators were still sent home after only one weekend in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee, Texas, and Arkansas are the only SEC teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament, but the league can get a fourth into the Sweet 16 if Alabama takes down Texas Tech in the nightcap.

In Ben McCollum‘s first season, he has Iowa in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. It’s the first time a No. 9 seed has eliminated a No. 1 since Chris Mack’s Xavier team was upset in Nashville by Florida State in 2018.

Gators add to this historical note – Only one defending champ since 2007 has advanced past the Sweet 16.

— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) March 23, 2026