There will be no repeat champion in men’s college basketball.

No. 1 seed Florida has been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 9 seed Iowa 73-72 in the second round matchup and sending the Gators home early.

The Hawkeyes did it in stunning fashion: down two points with eight seconds left, Bennett Stirtz drove down the court and found a wide open Alvaro Folgueiras for a go-ahead 3-pointer with four seconds left. Florida was unable to respond with its last chance.

ARE. YOU. JOKING.

IOWA LEADS. THIS IS MARCH. #MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/sNDHTqaGj1

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2026

The defending champions came into the Sunday, March 22 matchup fresh off their massive blowout victory of No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M in the first round, scoring a tournament high 114 points in the win. Two days later, the Gators looked nothing like what made them a top seed.

Iowa came out swinging out of the gates, turning the game into a physical battle that had a few heated moments in its favor. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 10-point lead midway through the first half and Florida was forced to play catch up the majority of the final 20 minutes, trailing by as much as 12 points in the second half.

Florida was able to take the lead with five minutes left and held onto it as the momentum shifted toward the top seed playing in its home state. But Iowa didn’t fold, leading to the shocking last-second bucket.

With the loss, it ensures Connecticut will remain the last back-to-back champion when it accomplished it in 2023 and 2024. While the Huskies’ wins were recent, it follows a trend of defending title winners struggling to defend their crowns the following season.

Eight of the past nine national champions have failed to make it to the Sweet 16 one year after winning it all. The loss also ensures there will not be an all-No. 1 seed Final Four after all the top teams in the bracket made it last season.

Ben McCollum continues to impress in his first season in Iowa City. In the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons, this will be Iowa’s first Sweet 16 appearance this century, last making the round in 1999. Awaiting the Hawkeyes in the round is a familiar foe in Nebraska, as the Big Ten rivals will meet Thursday, March 26 in Houston.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida's repeat hopes dashed by Iowa in Round 2 upset of March Madness