Iowa's stunning upset of No. 1 Florida caps off thrilling weekend of March Madness
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- The Florida Gators, the No. 1 seed in the South Region and defending national champions, were eliminated in the second round of the men’s NCAA Tournament after a 73-72 loss to No. 9 Iowa, ending their bid to repeat as champions.
- Iowa secured the win with a last-second 3-pointer by Alvaro Folgueiras after a defensive lapse by Florida, while Florida failed to get a final shot off in the closing seconds.
- Two of the top NBA draft prospects, Kansas’s Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, were also eliminated early, while Duke’s Cameron Boozer remains in the tournament as the Blue Devils advance to the Sweet 16.
- The Big Ten conference had a strong showing with six teams advancing to the Sweet 16, the most since 1975, contrasting with the ACC, which sent eight teams to the tournament but only Duke advanced past the first weekend.
- The tournament’s first weekend saw few upsets, raising questions about the impact of NIL on college basketball competitiveness, with most top seeds still alive and limited Cinderella stories in both the men’s and women’s brackets.
