This May Be A Different Way Of Looking At The Iowa Loss – But No Matter, It’s Still A Loss.

A Zebra Huddle: They decided to call it a double technical. (Chris Spears Photo)

 

There’s an old basketball testament which says you need guards to win in March. In the end their back court couldn’t make the play.

Florida had the better team. You knew that. I knew that. Iowa knew that. However, it’s not the best team that always wins in March Madness.

There was a sense that the Gators had been living on borrowed time with so many near misses, but this time of year when you’re playing basketball, you realize you’re going to be looking adversity straight in the eye on several occasions and need to survive.

This was that — down by 12 early in the second half, but battling back to take the lead and in a great place to win it on a night when they did not have their best stuff. No room for gloating on recent success.

The Gators had done that. We thought they had corrected their issues once they cleansed their pallet with the lopsided win over Prairie View. But I fear some people let their foot off the pedal.

In the past it had been a simple formula for pulling the game out: Give Tommy Haugh the ball. And with a three-point advantage having been earned earned in a brilliant comeback, that seemingly was the way to go. Except fate stepped in and took it way.

There’s an old basketball testament which says you need guards to win in March.  Backcourt had been one of the downfalls of the Gators early on, but presumably that had been fixed. In the end, however, when they needed a play from their guards from out of bounds for a chance to win the game, it was their backcourt man who couldn’t get it done.

Xavian Lee never got ball in play — he dribbled it too far and was trying to give it off to Haugh.

It should never have come down to that though. Too many things had gone wrong and it was Iowa’s night.

It was a slugfest, literally. Alvaro Folgueiras had clearly thrown a punch in the first half while battling for a loose ball with Florida's Alex Condon and was NOT ejected. Instead the zebra geniuses noodled it over and decided to assign a double technical foul.

And here’s the killer: Had they ejected him he would not have been around to put the dagger in the Gators’ hearts in the final seconds.

I’d rather foul Iowa early, preserve some time and force the shooter to make both shots just to tie.

In stead, Alvaro Folgueiras buried a corner 3 with 4.5 seconds left. Florida never got a final shot off after the Hawkeyes broke the Gators’ pressure and found Folgueiras open for the game winner. 

Florida finished 27 and 8. Iowa moved on after leading for more than 26 minutes and shooting 51 percent from the floor, just enough to survive Florida’s late push. The Gators shot 50 percent themselves, but the details went Iowa’s way in the closing sequence. Florida got back in front late, then could not finish the final defensive possession or generate a closing look after Folgueiras’ shot. 

Alex Condon led Florida with 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Thomas Haugh added 19 points and six rebounds in what could be his final college game.

I would never think my knowledge was superior to that of Todd Golden, but it seems to me his strategy was woefully  short in the final nine seconds of the loss to Iowa.

Why press and leave the three open anyway? I’d rather foul him, preserve some time and force him to make both shots just to tie.

We have quite a few months now to think that one over.