Iowa Hawkeyes Headed to the Sweet 16 for First Time Since 1999

For the first time since 1999, the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team is headed to the Sweet 16 following an improbable victory over the defending National Champion and No. 1 seed Florida Gators.

Nobody thinks of the Hawkeyes men's basketball program as a powerhouse, but the beautiful thing about March Madness is anybody can win any given matchup. We once saw 16-seed UMBC take down No. 1 seed Virginia. This year, High Point clipped Wisconsin's wings in the opening round. And now, the Hawkeyes are continuing their dance into the Sweet 16.

Alvaro Folgueiras Emerges as the Hero for the Hawkeyes:

The enduring memory of the game, in which Iowa led for 66% of the time, will be Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras drilling a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left in the game. Folgueiras made the shot with confidence, and left his hand high in the air after doing so. Benchmark International Arena in Tampa Bay turned into a frenzy.

Folgueiras' mother, Beatriz Campos, sent him to the United States from Malaga, Spain to pursue his basketball dreams. His father passed away when he was nine. As the Hawkeyes celebrated on the court after defeating Florida, Folgueiras ran into his mother's arm to share the moment:

She told me, 'I love you,' 100 times. I said, 'I love you,' 100 times back. It's super special having my mom here. She's everything for me. Where would the world be without the moms? She's super tough. She's been through a lot of things in life. [....] Sometimes, when I struggle through basketball -- and basketball is life -- I think of my mom as an example of resilience, and that really inspires me and gives me confidence. Because she's not just a fighter; she's a super special person. I'm so lucky to have her as a mom - Alvaro Folgueiras, per ESPN

What This Win Means for the Hawkeyes:

Florida came into the game riding high after a 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M, which marked the second largest victory margin in NCAA tournament history. The Hawkeyes threw Florida's up-tempo offensive rhythm off early, and got the best of them in the paint; at one point, Iowa led by as many as 12 points.

Iowa's win marked their second all-time against a No. 1 seed, the last one coming against Syracuse in the 1980 regional semifinals, per ESPN. Now, they are set to take on No. 4 Nebraska on Thursday, March 26th. The Cornhuskers enjoyed their first ever March Madness win following decades of heartbreak and coming up short.