To the victor go the spoils. And to Iowa and second-leading scorer Tavion Banks, the right to break down what he saw out of defending national champion Florida.
On Sunday night, sitting at a post-game press conference with NCAA logos checkered around the backdrop, Banks held court. How did he know Iowa would have a chance to knock off Florida? Simple, really.
“The physicality. We’re in two different conferences. We’re in the Big Ten. They’re in the SEC,” Banks said. “I just know we’re more physical. After just watching the film and see what they’re doing, I just knew we had an opportunity to win the game.”
From the opening tip, Iowa dictated how the game was going to be played. The Hawkeyes aggressively checked the Gators guards outside the 3-point line, making sure they weren’t allowed to get off easy entry passes into the post.
Without its steady diet of points in the paint, Florida was flustered. SEC Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu? He was a complete non-factor.
Chinyelu contributed four fouls but little else, finishing with no points, one rebound and one steal in 19 minutes of action. The Gators were left searching for answers, trailing by 12 points with about 14 minutes left to play.
They found them in the form of substitute Isaiah Brown. Brown chipped in just three points but managed to open up the flow of the offense, aided by some timely driving by Thomas Haugh. Florida clawed its way back in.
But when push come to shove — as it did in the first half in a contentious sequence between Florida’s Alex Condon and Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras — Iowa was every bit as physical as Florida. Had the game gone to overtime, Iowa might have been cooked due to foul trouble.
Folgueiras made sure that didn’t happen. He hit the game-winning 3-pointer with about five seconds remaining, and the Gators failed to answer on the final possession.
So when Tavion Banks was asked what made him think Iowa could beat Florida, the answer was clear. The proof had already been laid out on the court with a 73-72 win.