Takeaways from Florida's Shocking Upset Loss to Iowa in NCAA Tournament

TAMPA-- The first-seeded Florida Gators on Sunday fell in its NCAA Tournament Round of 32 game against nine-seed Iowa, 73-72, ending its 2026 title-defense season in heartbreak.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Trouble Down Low

Florida's front court had carried the team to the NCAA Tournament. In the first half, it was a large part of why Iowa took control of the game.

While Iowa shot extraordinary from down low, Florida's four-big rotation of Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Micah Handlogten struggled early. In the first half, the four combined to go 2-for-13 from the field, while Florida just had 12 points in the paint to Iowa's 18.

Chinyelu finished scoreless with just one rebound as he was in foul trouble for most of the second half.

It also did not help that the Hawkeyes shot an impressive 70 percent from two, marking the first time any opponent had shot that well against a Golden-coached Gators team.

Field Goal Droughts Cost Gators

While Isaiah Brown's missed free throw proved to be the difference between overtime and losing in regulation, Florida's field goal droughts throughout the game proved costly. Florida went on a near-10-minute drought in the first half, missing nine shots in a row as Iowa took a nine-point lead.

While Florida fought back, the Gators had multiple multi-minute field goal droughts in the second half, having to rely on free throws. Still, Florida was able to come back and take a late lead, both those droughts ended up proving costly in a one-point loss.

Florida's Resiliance Shown, but It Still Wasn't Enough

Already shown in its four regular-season losses, Florida fought back in the second half against Iowa.

But as Iowa threw punches – both figuratively and literally – the Gators could not quite keep up consistently. After Florida nearly erased a double-digit deficit in the first half, Iowa took a 12-point lead midway through the second half thanks to a 13-2 run.

Haugh and Condon, however, kept Florida in it and even sparked the Gators to a lead, scoring 15 and 14 in the second half on a combined 9-for-13 mark from the field. While Florida fought back once again, it simply wasn't enough: Brown missed a free throw, Iowa hit a 3-pointer to take a one-point lead, and Florida failed to get a shot off as time expired.

Florida's toughness throughout this season was never in doubt. Sunday's game, however, was the latest in the Gators coming up just shy of a close win.