On Friday night, it seemed like everything was going right for the Gators as Florida etched its name into NCAA Tournament history books with a 59-point win in its opening contest. Tampa felt like one big party, and the Gators seemed poised to keep on dancing straight to Houston for the Sweet 16.
But perhaps that party went on a little too long, and the ensuing hangover resulted in a shocking 73-72 loss to Iowa that now puts Florida in a far more dubious club.
Florida makes the wrong kind of history in loss to Iowa
Perhaps the warning signs should have been larger against Florida making a deep run this March. After all, UConn in 2024 is now the only defending champion of the last nine to make it to the Sweet 16, and since 2007, that same UConn team is the only defending champion to make it to the Elite Eight.
But after Florida demolished Prairie View A&M, it felt like that curse would be lifted. As we noted on Saturday, 58% of teams that win an NCAA Tournament game by at least 40 points go on to make the Final Four of that same tournament.
Florida’s loss to Iowa creates a different type of history, though:
The Gators are now just the 4th team in NCAA Tournament history to win a game by at least 40 points in their opening game and then lose in the second round. Florida joins the 2015 Villanova Wildcats, the 1998 Kansas Jayhawks, and the 1986 Syracuse Orange on this list.
And by proxy of having the second-largest win in March Madness history, Florida now holds the distinction of having the largest margin of victory of a team that lost its next game.
Heading into Sunday, this didn’t seem possible. But in March, it only takes one bad night for everything to go up in smoke.