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TAMPA, Fla. — After the field of 68 was sliced in half on March 21, Iowa men’s basketball was still dancing in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
The Hawkeyes never trailed in a 67-61 win over the Clemson Tigers on March 20. Iowa got impactful contributions from a variety of players and successfully fended off Clemson’s second-half runs en route to the victory.
A benchmark victory at that.
It was the first time the program won an NCAA Tournament game since 2021.
Whatever happens next, Ben McCollum’s first season at the helm can only be categorized as a success.
Iowa’s 22 wins are the most since the 2021-22 season. Not only did Iowa make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023, it's also now one win away from making an elusive Sweet 16. McCollum and his first Hawkeye team have begun to revitalize the energy around the program.
And now, Iowa faces … the reigning national champion Florida Gators (6:10 p.m. CT Sunday, TBS).
More: 'No egos on the team.' Iowa basketball has become more than just Bennett Stirtz show
To say this is a David vs. Goliath matchup would be an exaggeration. It is not quite at that level, but the Hawkeyes will enter as the clear underdog. The 9-seed Hawkeyes will be facing the 1-seed Gators in essentially a road environment in Tampa, Florida.
To which McCollum said: “Good. More fun that way.”
Because of what Iowa has already accomplished this season, and the steep challenge Florida presents, this is a low-risk, high-reward scenario for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa is playing with house money at this point.
If the Gators win by double-digits, it won’t change the fact that it was a successful season for Iowa. On the other hand, a win would be a seismic moment for a program that hasn’t been to the Sweet 16 since 1999. That Iowa even has the opportunity to do such a thing in McCollum’s first season at the helm should be exciting for Hawkeye fans.
But as McCollum pointed out, "We’re going to have our hands full.”
An impressive part of Iowa’s performance against Clemson was the fact that the Hawkeyes outmuscled the Tigers. Iowa outrebounded Clemson by 13 and attempted 19 more free throws than the Tigers.
But Florida is a different beast.
The Gators, who drilled 16-seed Prairie View A&M 114-55 in the round of 64, feature a physically imposing starting frontcourt of Alex Condon (6-foot-11), Rueben Chinyelu (6-10) and Thomas Haugh (6-9). All three were members of Florida’s 2025 national championship team. That trio is accompanied by a pair of dynamic transfer guards — Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton).
“I think it starts with our offense," Bennett Stirtz said of dealing with Florida's size. "We’ve got to get a good shot and then we can set our defense. I think if we can get our defense set, that will help a whole lot. But on the offensive end, just embrace the challenge. We’ve been going up against size and we’ve been undersized the whole Big Ten (season). So it’ll be nothing new.”
More: Playing for dad — The deeper meaning behind Alvaro Folgueiras' 3-point celebration
The Gators, who got off to a rocky 9-5 start this season against a tough schedule, have been one of the hottest teams in college basketball. Florida has lost just two games since Jan. 6 — a stretch that included a 12-game winning streak against SEC opponents.
As good as Florida has been, Iowa has proven that it can hang around with some of the best teams in the nation. The four-point loss to Iowa State, six-point loss to Illinois, seven-point loss to Purdue, three-point loss to Michigan and an overtime loss to Nebraska all showed what the Hawkeyes are capable of against high-level opponents.
More often than not, Iowa has at least kept it competitive. Only twice this season — at Michigan State and home against Purdue — has Iowa truly been blown out. Otherwise, Iowa has given itself a fighting chance.
But the challenge is actually breaking through and winning those types of games. Only once has Iowa proven it can do so — a 57-52 victory over Nebraska in February at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Yes, Iowa has shown that it can keep it respectable, but the Hawkeyes are also pretty clearly a cut below those elite teams. Knocking off Florida means breaking through that barrier once again.
“I think a couple of shots, a couple of possessions, a couple of defensive mistakes, a couple of offensive mistakes," McCollum said of the difference between a win and coming up just short. "Things that we need to make sure that we correct (Sunday) to be able to win the game. So, we’re going to make sure that we have our scout dialed in and try to eliminate some of those losing mistakes. And then fight for 40 (minutes) and see what happens.”
The type of low-scoring, defensive battle Iowa executed in its win over Nebraska serves as a blueprint for how the Hawkeyes could take down the Gators. Keeping Florida off the offensive glass as much as possible will be key. So will controlling the tempo against a Gator squad that plays at a much faster pace than the Hawkeyes, though McCollum downplayed how intentional Iowa is about slowing it down.
Iowa will have to put up one of its best performances of the season to win — if not the best.
That said, the Gators are not unbeatable. Vanderbilt flattened Florida 91-74 in the SEC Tournament earlier this month. It’s difficult to win back-to-back national titles, which the program is trying to do under head coach Todd Golden.
And after all, it’s March. The unexpected is part of what makes this event so thrilling.
So maybe Iowa can find some March Madness magic of its own.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa basketball has chance to deliver March Madness magic vs. Florida
Continue reading...
The Hawkeyes never trailed in a 67-61 win over the Clemson Tigers on March 20. Iowa got impactful contributions from a variety of players and successfully fended off Clemson’s second-half runs en route to the victory.
A benchmark victory at that.
It was the first time the program won an NCAA Tournament game since 2021.
Whatever happens next, Ben McCollum’s first season at the helm can only be categorized as a success.
Iowa’s 22 wins are the most since the 2021-22 season. Not only did Iowa make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023, it's also now one win away from making an elusive Sweet 16. McCollum and his first Hawkeye team have begun to revitalize the energy around the program.
And now, Iowa faces … the reigning national champion Florida Gators (6:10 p.m. CT Sunday, TBS).
More: 'No egos on the team.' Iowa basketball has become more than just Bennett Stirtz show
To say this is a David vs. Goliath matchup would be an exaggeration. It is not quite at that level, but the Hawkeyes will enter as the clear underdog. The 9-seed Hawkeyes will be facing the 1-seed Gators in essentially a road environment in Tampa, Florida.
To which McCollum said: “Good. More fun that way.”
Because of what Iowa has already accomplished this season, and the steep challenge Florida presents, this is a low-risk, high-reward scenario for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa is playing with house money at this point.
If the Gators win by double-digits, it won’t change the fact that it was a successful season for Iowa. On the other hand, a win would be a seismic moment for a program that hasn’t been to the Sweet 16 since 1999. That Iowa even has the opportunity to do such a thing in McCollum’s first season at the helm should be exciting for Hawkeye fans.
But as McCollum pointed out, "We’re going to have our hands full.”
An impressive part of Iowa’s performance against Clemson was the fact that the Hawkeyes outmuscled the Tigers. Iowa outrebounded Clemson by 13 and attempted 19 more free throws than the Tigers.
But Florida is a different beast.
The Gators, who drilled 16-seed Prairie View A&M 114-55 in the round of 64, feature a physically imposing starting frontcourt of Alex Condon (6-foot-11), Rueben Chinyelu (6-10) and Thomas Haugh (6-9). All three were members of Florida’s 2025 national championship team. That trio is accompanied by a pair of dynamic transfer guards — Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton).
“I think it starts with our offense," Bennett Stirtz said of dealing with Florida's size. "We’ve got to get a good shot and then we can set our defense. I think if we can get our defense set, that will help a whole lot. But on the offensive end, just embrace the challenge. We’ve been going up against size and we’ve been undersized the whole Big Ten (season). So it’ll be nothing new.”
More: Playing for dad — The deeper meaning behind Alvaro Folgueiras' 3-point celebration
The Gators, who got off to a rocky 9-5 start this season against a tough schedule, have been one of the hottest teams in college basketball. Florida has lost just two games since Jan. 6 — a stretch that included a 12-game winning streak against SEC opponents.
As good as Florida has been, Iowa has proven that it can hang around with some of the best teams in the nation. The four-point loss to Iowa State, six-point loss to Illinois, seven-point loss to Purdue, three-point loss to Michigan and an overtime loss to Nebraska all showed what the Hawkeyes are capable of against high-level opponents.
More often than not, Iowa has at least kept it competitive. Only twice this season — at Michigan State and home against Purdue — has Iowa truly been blown out. Otherwise, Iowa has given itself a fighting chance.
But the challenge is actually breaking through and winning those types of games. Only once has Iowa proven it can do so — a 57-52 victory over Nebraska in February at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Yes, Iowa has shown that it can keep it respectable, but the Hawkeyes are also pretty clearly a cut below those elite teams. Knocking off Florida means breaking through that barrier once again.
“I think a couple of shots, a couple of possessions, a couple of defensive mistakes, a couple of offensive mistakes," McCollum said of the difference between a win and coming up just short. "Things that we need to make sure that we correct (Sunday) to be able to win the game. So, we’re going to make sure that we have our scout dialed in and try to eliminate some of those losing mistakes. And then fight for 40 (minutes) and see what happens.”
The type of low-scoring, defensive battle Iowa executed in its win over Nebraska serves as a blueprint for how the Hawkeyes could take down the Gators. Keeping Florida off the offensive glass as much as possible will be key. So will controlling the tempo against a Gator squad that plays at a much faster pace than the Hawkeyes, though McCollum downplayed how intentional Iowa is about slowing it down.
Iowa will have to put up one of its best performances of the season to win — if not the best.
That said, the Gators are not unbeatable. Vanderbilt flattened Florida 91-74 in the SEC Tournament earlier this month. It’s difficult to win back-to-back national titles, which the program is trying to do under head coach Todd Golden.
And after all, it’s March. The unexpected is part of what makes this event so thrilling.
So maybe Iowa can find some March Madness magic of its own.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa basketball has chance to deliver March Madness magic vs. Florida
Continue reading...
