At least for one night, Iowa is the talk of the college basketball world. The Hawkeyes upset No. 1 seed Florida in the Round of 32 last night with a late, go-ahead 3-pointer before preventing the Gators from taking a potential game-winner at the other end.
After the win, Iowa head basketball coach Ben McCollum was asked what impact the Florida victory, as well as McCollum's first season in Iowa City as a whole, could have on recruiting transfer portal and high school players.
“If you want to be a tough dude, this is a good spot for you. If you're soft and you like yourself way too much, it's probably not the spot for you,” McCollum said [h/t The Daily Iowan's Chris Meglio]. “We just try to recruit tough dudes who want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and hopefully, people see that. Win or lose, hopefully people see that. I think obviously wins help from the excitement, but I was proud of our guys competing one way or the other.”
Ben McCollum took a moment to discuss what the impact of the Florida win and this season as a whole can have on the program: “We just try to recruit tough dudes who want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and hopefully people see that.” pic.twitter.com/ABpQsEiOSS
— Chris Meglio (@chris_meglio) March 23, 2026
With last night's win, Iowa is 23-12 in McCollum's first year. He spent last season at Drake, where he went 31-4 and made it to the tournament. Previously, he spent 15 years at Division II Northwest Missouri State, where he won four national championships and compiled a 35-91 record.
In the Sweet Sixteen, ninth-seeded Iowa will play Big Ten rival Nebraska, the fourth seed in the South Regional who eked out a 74-72 win against No. 5 Vanderbilt. The winner of Iowa-Nebraska will advance to the Elite Eight and play either No. 2 Houston or No. 3 Illinois.
