People in Iowa City will be talking about the game against Florida for years to come!
Charles Barkey summed it up nicely when he said that Iowa had a perfect game plan against the Gators, and put on a "coaching and player clinic" in the victory.
Iowa dug deep and found ways to force Florida's talented bigs out of the paint, and gave themselves a chance to win on the Alvaro Folgueiras three-point basket.
When asked about the basket during postgame media availability, Bennett Stirtz revealed that Folgeuiras called his shot.
Folgueiras told Stirtz that he was going to knock down the game-winning shot
Stirtz said that the play that was drawn up called for him to get downhill, but what Folgueiras said in the huddle will go down as the stuff of legends.
"Imma be ready and Imma make it."
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 23, 2026
Bennett Stirtz says Alvaro Folgueiras called his shot on the last play of the game. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/YNV3dAgf8O
According to Stirtz, Folgueiras confidently told him, "imma be ready. Imma make it," in the huddle before the last shot that ultimately won the game.
Ben McCollum couldn't believe he actually said that, and said that Folgueiras has "irrational confidence" to say something like that and then to go out and do it.
Folgueiras has had a solid NCAA Tournament so far, guiding Iowa to two straight victories where Stirtz struggled.
Folgueiras had extra motivation during Iowa's first-round win over Clemson because his mom was in the crowd and he hadn't seen her in a few years. That motivation definitely carried over to the win over Florida as he calmly knocked down one of the biggest shots of the Tournament.
The win sets up a rematch with rival Nebraska in the next round, Iowa's first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 1999.