Gators' Heartbreaking Loss to Iowa in NCAA Tournament

0:00On March 23rd, the Florida Gators felt Iowa in the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, ending their season in a heartbreaking one-point loss. After battling back from a double-digit deficit to lead 72-70 in the final seconds, the Gators couldn't hold on during the last two. Possessions. Earlier this week, Coach Todd Golden's defensive strategy aimed to keep the ball away from Iowa's key player and force a foul on a role player. With the inbound pass slip past Florida's guard, leading to a 2-1-1 break and a wide-open three-pointer from the corner with four seconds left, giving Iowa the lead. Players and coaches owned the mistakes right after the game. Golden wished his guard had driven harder to the rim instead of passing while the player's second-guess not taking a quicker shot. Analysts, like Charles Barkley called it, one of the worst defensive calls he's seen. Throughout the game, Florida struggled with scoring droughts and missed free throws while Iowa controlled the pace and hit big shots late.

1:01It echoed last year's title run, where the Gators won by forcing a missed final shot, now they couldn't even get one off. Florida heads into the offseason with lessons from both ends of March madness, eyeing decisions from draft eligible players and building momentum for next year.