FINAL: Iowa 73, Florida 72

Sunday, March 22

Tampa, FL

7:10 PM

Florida Gators

27-8,16-2SEC

Iowa

23-12,10-10Big Ten

Iowa

Florida

Chris Harry’s At the Buzzer presented by Ticketmaster

FINAL: Iowa 73, Florida 72

Sunday, March 22, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

What Happened

TAMPA, Fla. – Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras nailed a 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds to play and the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes shocked top-seeded and reigning national champion Florida 73-72 in second-round play Sunday night of the NCAA Tournament Southeast Region at Benchmark International Arena, ending the Gators' run as reigning national champions.

UF had a last-ditch chance to win the game, but guard Xaivian Lee, on a hard baseline-to-baseline sprint, tried to the dump a pass off to forward Alex Condon, but the ball was knocked away as the final buzzer sounded.

The Gators trailed by 12 early in the second half, but stormed back to retake the lead with seven minutes to go, then went ahead by as many as four, 65-61, inside six minutes remaining. The margin was three with less than two minutes to go and just one, 71-70, when backup guard Isaiah Brown was fouled grabbing a rebound after a UF stop and went to the other end for two free throws. He missed the first, but hit the second for a 72-70 lead.

Out of a timeout, the Hawkeyes broke the Gators' full-court pressure, with standout point guard Bennett Stirtz (13 points, 5 assists) finding Folgueiras wide open in the right corner. The 6-foot-10 forward set his feet and knocked down the shot in complete rhythm for the game-winner.

UF was led by Condon, who finished with 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Forward Thomas Haugh, in likely his final collegiate game, had 19 points and six rebounds.

The Gators shot 50% overall, went 6-for-19 from the 3-point line (32%) and 20-for-27 at the free-throw line (74%). The Hawkeyes, led by senior forward Tavion Banks' game-high 20 points, finished at 51% overall, seven of 24 from distance (29%) and 14 of 22 at the line (64%). Where they made a big difference was playing the Gators, the best rebounding team in the country, even at 27 on the glass, with a 10-9 edge on the offensive end.

UF forward **Alex Condon** during Sunday's NCAA second-round game.

Turning Point

Brown's missed free throw opened the door.

Staggering Statistic

The Hawkeyes outscored the Gators 18-12 in paint points in the first half, when they built a 10-point lead, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Iowa converted 11 of its 14 shots inside the 3-point line through the first 20 minutes. The Hawkeyes finished with a 32-30 advantage in paint points against the bigger, longer Gators. They also neutralized UF center Rueben Chinyelu, the Southeastern Conference rebound leader and defensive player of the year. Chinyelu finished with with no points and one rebound over 19 mostly foul-plagued minutes.

Up Next

Florida (27-8) will head into the offseason wondering if the 2026-27 Gators will include any of the familiar faces that have helped define some of the biggest moments of the last two incredible seasons. Iowa (23-12), meanwhile, will advance to its first "Sweet 16" since 1999 to face 4-seed and Big Ten rival Nebraska 28-6) in Southeast Region semifinals.

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.