Gators' Title Defense Ends in Heartbreak

0:00On March 23rd, Florida's defense of their national championship ended in heartbreak during the second round of the NCAA tournament. The ninth-seated Iowa Hawkeyes pulled off a stunning 73-72 win over the Gators in Tampa, thanks to a corner, three-pointer by. Alvaro Fulgeras, with just seconds remaining. The Gators trailed by as much as 12 points early on, but mounted a strong comeback in the second half. They grabbed the two-point lead with eight seconds left after a free throw, setting up what looked like a trip to the sweet 16. Fans and players alike are still reeling from the loss, as defending champs who won the SEC regular season title, and cruised in the first round, Florida entered as a favorite to go deep. Instead, they head home early, a tough pill after building real hopes for another title run. Fowl treble played a big role, sideline and key players like Rubenschenielu, after four fouls and limiting Alice Condon, who still led with 21 points. Thomas Hall added 19, but Iowa capitalized inside without Florida's full front court

1:04strength. March Madness lives up to its name once again, sending the Gators back to Gainesville, with lessons learned and eyes already on next season's reload.