The Hawkeyes' masterpiece against the Florida Gators had more layers than anyone realized.
Ben McCollum had a perfect game plan that his guys executed to perfection, and even with Bennett Stirtz struggling, Iowa found ways to neutralize Florida's size and skill on defense, and other guys stepped up on offense.
Iowa's extremely slow pace of play on offense is well-documented, but they sped things up at times and were extremely efficient shooting two-pointers.
The Hawkeyes outscored the Gators in the paint 32 to 30, shooting a ridiculous percentage from two-point range. Iowa shot so well that it was the first time in Todd Golden's tenure that a team shot that well.
Iowa's 70 percent from two had never happened to Florida under Golden
Iowa lacks the offensive firepower of many teams in the Tournament, but it is extremely efficient from the field.
That was showcased in the win over Florida, as they shot 70 percent from two-point range, something that has never happened to Florida under Todd Golden.
Iowa shot over 70% on 2s against Florida today. No team had ever done that against Todd Golden in his 144-game tenure in Gainesville.
— Isaac Trotter (@Isaac__Trotter) March 23, 2026
Iowa sliced and diced one of the elite rim defenses in the sport.
In 144 games in Gainesville, no team had ever done what Iowa just did to Todd Golden's squad, and to do it to the defending champs and the one-seed in the region is the stuff of legends.
McCollum and Golden got into a heated exchange after a scrum involving Alvaro Folgueiras and Alex Condon, and McCollum looked ready to beat up Golden in that moment.
This stat proves that McCollum and his team were the bullies in this game, beating up the Gators and figuratively stuffing Golden into a locker, taking his lunch money.
It cannot be understated that wherever McCollum goes, he wins, and he is one of the best basketball minds in men's college hoops.