Round of 32 takeaways: Iowa beats Florida's shocking press

The brackets are set, the action has tipped off, and March Madness has officially arrived. Follow along as theScore highlights key takeaways from the Round of 32 and what the results mean moving forward.

Bizarre strategy sets up Iowa winner

There will be a new champion in 2026 after Iowa stunned No. 1 Florida with a late winner to advance to the Sweet 16. Before we tackle the entire game, we must ask one pertinent question: why did the Gators full-court press the nation's 4th-slowest team up two with 8.9 seconds to play?

There's really only one way you can go the length of the floor and get an uncontested shot in 8.9 seconds: catching the ball with a running start ahead of your defender. That doesn't happen if he is picked up at half, but for some reason, Todd Golden had the Gators covering the entire court in this situation. The pressure defense had been a key to Florida erasing a 12-point deficit in the second half, however, it was no longer trailing in this moment.

Sure enough, Bennett Stirtz lost Boogie Fland running around a screen, took a perfect feed at full speed and was off on a 3-on-2. That forced the Florida defender's hand, with the result being a wide-open triple by Alvaro Folgueiras.

You can add the Spaniard to the lengthy list of March Madness heroes, as his shot will live forever in the state of Iowa.

Golden told reporters after the contest that the plan was to foul on the play and force Iowa to make free throws to tie. Had the Hawkeyes made both, Florida would have then had a few seconds to attempt a game-winning bucket. You've heard of fouling up three to prevent a game-tying shot, but giving your opponent a chance to tie the game at the free throw line might be almost as unconventional as full-court pressing in this situation.

Now the big picture look - Ben McCollum turned in one of the best coaching jobs in recent memory, somehow getting his Hawkeyes over the line despite a dismal 5-of-16 shooting performance by his offensive star Stirtz. They did it largely with a relentless crashing of the glass, finishing dead even on the boards with the nation's top rebounding team. The main reason for that draw was the inability of Rueben Chinyelu to get anything going, as Iowa put the dominant big man in foul trouble early. He finished with zero points and just one rebound in 19 minutes - his absence was severely felt.

McCollum doesn't have the national title that Golden won last season, but you cannot make a list of top coaches in the sport without his name being near the top.

The victory sets up a rivalry game for Iowa against Nebraska in the Sweet 16 - one that will have virtually every television in the midwest locked in.

Sometimes you win by the 3, sometimes you don't

You could spend hours dissecting a game like Iowa-Florida or St. John's-Kansas from so many different angles. Other matchups really don't need that much analysis, as the reason for victory is glaringly obvious. Sunday's 4-5 contest between Alabama and Texas Tech was one of the latter. Both teams chuck 3-pointers at absurd rates, with over 40% of their points coming via the long-range shot this year.

When you take that many 3-pointers, a hot-shooting night can push you past just about any team in the country. That's the role Alabama played Sunday. However, a poor shooting night can see you get blown off the court. And that's the Texas Tech situation.

The Crimson Tide torched the nets in Tampa, making 19-of-42 triples for a whopping 57 points, only eight less than Texas Tech scored total. The Red Raiders built a house of bricks, making just 4-of-22 shots from deep. And that is how you get a 25-point blowout win in the Round of 32.

Unlikely winner caps Pitino-Self blockbuster

Sunday's matchup between Kansas and St. John's marked just the third time in NCAA Tournament history that two coaches with at least two titles faced off against one another. And for 35 of the 40 minutes, Rick Pitino coached absolute circles around Bill Self.

Despite the fact Pitino's teams have been pressing and trapping for 50 years, Kansas seemed completely unprepared to deal with it for the majority of the game. When the clock ticked to under eight minutes to play in the second half, the Jayhawks had as many turnovers as made baskets and faced a 14-point deficit.

And yet, Dylan Darling's heroics at the buzzer would eventually be needed to secure the win.

To say Darling getting the winner was a surprise would be an understatement - considering he had yet to hit a shot in the game. According to CBS Sports, he's the first player in NCAA Tournament history to hit a game-winning buzzer-beater as his first basket of the game. It also saved Pitino and St. John's from the infamy of an epic collapse after Kansas ripped off a 20-7 run to tie things in the final minute.

However, the near-disaster from the Red Storm won't even be a blip on the radar as time goes by. This one will be remembered for Darling's hero turn and Pitino's masterclass over Self.

Kansas' held the edge in field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage, rebounds, blocks, points in the paint, and free throws ... and lost.

Big Ten party in Sweet 16

The Big Ten might as well just host the entire Sweet 16 at this point because the conference is dominating the team list for the regional semifinals. Iowa's shocking win over Florida made it six teams from the conference heading to the next round. That set the table for UCLA to push the total to seven and match the SEC's record last season for most in a single tournament. While the Bruins would fall to UConn, there's no doubt which is the best conference in the country this year.

The sight of Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois in the Sweet 16 comes as no surprise, but the rest of the schools to make it were far from locks.

Nebraska had never won an NCAA Tournament game in the history of its program two weeks ago. Now the Cornhuskers are in the Sweet 16 after Vanderbilt's heartbreaking last-second heave rimmed out last night. They will play a familiar foe in the next round after the Hawkeyes took down the defending champion Gators. The two teams split their league matchups this year, with both home teams walking away with the victory. A possible conference Elite Eight contest is also a possibility if the Illini can beat Houston.

There is the potential for an all-Big Ten Final Four with one of Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue in each of the other three regions.

Different night, different dude for UConn

With back-to-back titles under his belt in the last three years, nobody knows the requirements for a deep NCAA Tournament run better than Dan Hurley. One of those is certainly the ability of having multiple players on your roster to deliver a virtuoso performance and pull the team to victory. Tarris Reed did that for UConn with an insane 31-point, 27-rebound game against Furman in the opening round, but Sunday was the Alex Karaban show.

The long-time standout for Hurley went off for a career-high 27 points to send the Huskies past an undermanned UCLA team to the Sweet 16. The Bruins made it close late in the second, but a UConn push aided by a Mick Cronin technical foul - shocking, I know - put things out of reach. Karaban now continues his quest for a rare third national title as a player with Michigan State on deck next.

UConn's win makes the East Region Sweet 16 matchups a ridiculous collection of coaching talent with Rick Pitino, Jon Scheyer, Tom Izzo, and Hurley making up the list.

Loyer steps up to send Purdue to Sweet 16

Braden Smith did something Sunday that he'd done only once before in his illustrious 146-game career: The NCAA's newly crowned all-time assist king turned the ball over an astonishing eight times versus Miami, looking lost throughout the contest as a result of the Hurricanes' defensive pressure. Despite Smith's tough outing, the evening will be a celebratory one for Purdue, thanks to a legacy-building game from Fletcher Loyer. The sharpshooting wing picked up the slack, scoring 24 points on just seven field goals. Loyer was a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and 8-of-8 from the foul line, and he missed just one two-point attempt. His performance highlighted an outrageous shooting day for the Boilermakers as a whole.

Purdue is now headed to its seventh Sweet 16 in the last nine years, serving as the latest example of Matt Painter's success in building a perennial powerhouse. The victory also keeps the Big Ten in position to potentially make tournament history. The Boilermakers became the fifth team from the conference to reach this year's Sweet 16 - two shy of matching the all-time NCAA Tournament record. However, the feat will be tough to pull off with both UCLA and Iowa being heavy underdogs in their respective Round of 32 games.

Iowa State's 22 minutes of fury

Iowa State began Sunday in a charitable mood, allowing 7-seed Kentucky to grab an early 18-6 lead to open the Round of 32 contest. The Cyclones clearly struggled to adjust to life without star Joshua Jefferson, missing their first 11 triples. That generosity ended in a hurry, as Iowa State unleashed its fury in a 22-minute stretch that left those in attendance reeling.

From the final 12 minutes of the opening half through the first 10 of the second frame, Iowa State outscored Kentucky by an absurd 48-23 margin to flip the game on its head. The Cyclones' trademark swarming defense wrecked a Wildcats squad devoid of a true point guard, forcing 13 turnovers during that span. They took the ball away 20 times in all - the most turnovers Kentucky has ever committed in an NCAA Tournament game.

The difference in guard play between the two sides went a long way toward deciding things. Tamin Lipsey poured in 26 points and dished out 10 assists for the Cyclones, while the Wildcats' primary ball-handlers - Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen - accounted for eight turnovers and recorded just one assist.

As Iowa State advances, it's fair to say Kentucky is in a bit of a crisis. The Wildcats needed Oweh's miracle buzzer-beater to survive Santa Clara in the opening round, and they were completely overmatched Sunday by a team missing its best player. Big Blue has now gone six years without an Elite Eight appearance, its longest drought ever.

Saturday's games

Nebraska-Vandy was LIT 🔥

Nebraska entered March Madness as the only major conference team in history without a win in the NCAA Tournament. With that backdrop in mind, Braden Frager's go-ahead layup in the dying seconds against Vanderbilt should have been the most celebrated moment in program history.

While plenty of people - mostly wearing red - will remember that bucket for years, it's probably a safe bet that the No. 1 talking point from this epic Round of 32 game is what happened afterward.

Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner launched a last-second heave that somehow rimmed out, causing cardiac episodes all over the great state of Nebraska in the process.

It was a fitting end to what has arguably been the best game of the tournament thus far, with elite shotmaking littered across an enthralling 40 minutes of action. Vanderbilt stormed back in the second half, making over 44% of its triples down the stretch to give itself a chance for a memorable ending - and the Commodores certainly did that.

Nebraska's reward is likely a Sweet 16 matchup with Florida, provided it avoids an upset at the hands of No. 9 Iowa on Sunday. The Gators will probably be pleased that Vanderbilt's last chance rimmed out, especially since the Commodores took out the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament semifinal last weekend.

Texas, the double-digit darling

With an enrollment of 55,000 students, the nation's most valuable athletic department, and a head coach with nine Sweet 16 appearances in a 20-year career, Texas doesn't exactly qualify for Cinderella status. However, in a tournament largely void of double-digit seeds pulling off upsets, we're left with little old Texas to carry the mantle of "underdog" into the next round. The Longhorns are just the sixth team to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16, toppling No. 3 Gonzaga on Saturday.

Scoring balance is the plan of attack for Sean Miller in his first season with Texas. The Longhorns have featured four different double-digit scorers in all three of their NCAA Tournament games thus far. Matas Vokietaitis has been a menace in the post, putting up 18 points and 11 rebounds per contest. The winner of Sunday's Purdue-Miami game now awaits the plucky underdog in the Sweet 16.

As for Gonzaga, a season-long struggle with outside shooting proved costly. This was the worst 3-point shooting team of Mark Few's lengthy tenure with the program, and it'll certainly be an area of focus ahead of Gonzaga's move to the Pac-12.

Can't stop Acuff

He won't be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft or win player of the year, but there's nobody hotter in college basketball than Darius Acuff. The fabulous freshman's latest high-wire act came in the form of a 36-point explosion versus High Point late Saturday to deliver a second straight Sweet 16 berth for John Calipari at Arkansas.

It's impossible to watch Acuff and not think of peak-Stefon Marbury with his ridiculous handle and lightning-quick pull on the jumper. And he's not just a scorer; his six assists against the Panthers now have him averaging 7.2 per game over his last five.

Arkansas' next opponent is the winner of Sunday's battle between No. 1 Arizona and No. 9 Utah State. Should the Wildcats prevail, Acuff's next matchup would come against the nation's third-ranked defense. Get your popcorn ready, should that materialize.

Illinois-Houston will be a banger

The nation's second-ranked offense versus the fourth-ranked defense. Choose your fighter wisely. The Sweet 16 matchup between No. 3 Illinois and No. 2 Houston will be a titanic affair. The Illini booked a date with the Cougars following a comfortable victory over No. 11 VCU on Saturday, with Andrei Stojakovic leading the way at 21 points.

Yes, that's Peja's son, but he's not a sharpshooter like his famous father. Instead, the younger Stojakovic is as crafty as they come at getting to the basket. He saved Illinois from a rough shooting night from deep with several timely buckets to help the Illini push a seven-point halftime edge to a 21-point victory.

That's a significant part of the challenge in playing Illinois - identifying which dude is going to pop off that given night. David Mirkovic, the star from the opening round, scored only seven points Saturday, but the combo of Stojakovic, Keaton Wagler, and Tomislav Ivisic poured in 49 of the team's 76 points. How defensive mastermind Kelvin Sampson attacks that in the next round will be one of the most fascinating things to watch in the Sweet 16.

Boozer's POY favorite for a reason

Duke's issues with No. 16 Siena on Thursday carried over to the weekend against TCU, as the Blue Devils struggled on offense for the first 25 minutes of the game. The No. 1 seed actually went without a field goal for an 8:45 stretch that spanned the end of the first half and the start of the second. That seems borderline impossible given the talent on Duke's roster, but the Blue Devils seemed lost on the offensive end, allowing TCU to take a two-point lead with just over 15 minutes to play. And then Cameron Boozer took the ball and sent the Horned Frogs home.

The likely national player of the year was all of that down the stretch, scoring 17 points with five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block in the second half alone. Duke cranked up the intensity on the defensive end at the same time, holding TCU to just 24 points over the final 20 minutes. A commanding 43-18 run to end the game turned a tight contest into a 23-point win for the ACC champs.

It hasn't been pretty for Duke in this tournament, as the team continues life without guard Caleb Foster. Despite the early issues, Saturday's second half has to be wildly encouraging for Jon Scheyer, with his offense operating efficiently against a top defense. That'll need to continue with a Sweet 16 contest against either Kansas or St. John's waiting.

Can't have a Sweet 16 without Houston

Can a Sweet 16 exist without Houston? The answer is an emphatic 'No!' for the seventh straight year. Kelvin Sampson's Cougars have taken up permanent residency in the NCAA Tournament's second weekend and are there once again after blowing out Texas A&M on Saturday.

The Round of 32 matchup was a clash of styles. Houston, playing at one of the slowest paces in the nation, faced off against an Aggies team eager to get out and run as often as possible. That uptempo approach requires turnovers based on pressing defense - not a formula you want to rely on against the Cougars. Houston protects the ball better than any team in college basketball and gave it away only six times versus the Aggies. That forced Texas A&M to run its half-court offense, a disastrous strategy that yielded just 57 points. The Cougars outrebounded the Aggies by an eye-opening 46-29 margin and ripped down 19 offensive boards in the process.

As we've seen over the past seven years, Houston likely won't lose if it's allowed to play the way it wants - slow tempo, fierce defense, and a reckless abandon on the glass. Essentially, if you can't force the Cougars out of that style, you're going to have a bad time.

Another clash of styles awaits Sampson in the next round, where Houston will face the nation's No. 2 offense in Illinois. That Sweet 16 matchup would be another chess match, but this time with the added advantage of playing in front of a home crowd as the regional semifinals and finals are taking place in Houston.

Good luck slowing down Michigan

Pour one out for the scoreboard operator in Buffalo this week, as Michigan put them through the wringer by orchestrating an electric offensive performance in its opening two games of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines torched the nets versus both Howard and Saint Louis, scoring a combined 196 points across the two victories. The Big Ten powerhouse is the first team since 2008 to score at least 95 points in both the first and second rounds of the tournament, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.

Red-hot shooting is required to hang 95 points in a 40-minute game - let alone in back-to-back contests - and the Wolverines have been scorching.

Saturday's meeting with the Billikens was close early, but Saint Louis simply couldn't match the play of Michigan's frontcourt - nor can 99% of the teams in the country. A lethal blend of size and athleticism gives the Wolverines a massive edge against any team in the bracket other than Florida.

Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. both stand 6-foot-9 but possess the athleticism of a ferocious wing. Aday Mara serves as the anchor at 7-foot-3, yet even he moves like a polished dancer in the post. Those three will present major problems for the winner of Alabama and Texas Tech, which will face off Sunday. Both teams have significant frontcourt issues that Michigan will certainly look to exploit in the Sweet 16.

Fears, the Point God

Michigan State has been churning out elite college point guards for a long time, but none have accomplished what Jeremy Fears Jr. did Saturday against Louisville. Fears played the role of quarterback to perfection, tossing out 16 assists in the victory to set a new program record in an NCAA Tournament game. The loudest connection came to human pogo-stick Coen Carr, with a perfect feed setting up a high-flying finish.

Between points and assists, Fears was responsible for 35 of the Spartans' 41 total points in the second half. His 16 helpers contributed to Michigan State's 22 total in the contest, with just four baskets coming unassisted. That's how a team that struggles shooting from the outside can put up 77 points.

Fears is averaging 13.3 assists across his last three games, while Michigan State has put up 84 points per contest in that span. He'll need to keep that clip rolling with a possible matchup versus UConn's 14th-ranked defense on deck.