It only took a matter of days for the majority of the country’s March Madness brackets to be busted, and one major college basketball upset played spoiler for many fans. No. 9-seeded Iowa eliminated No. 1 Florida as the Gators’ bid for back-to-back national championships abruptly ended.
Things got testy between the two head coaches as Iowa’s Ben McCollum and Florida’s Todd Golden exchanged words during the game. After the Hawkeyes pulled off the upset over the Gators, the tension appeared to spill over into the handshake line.
A viral video has emerged showing what appears to be an Iowa assistant coach faking out Golden during the handshake line. All this happened as an Iowa player mockingly did the gator chomp.
Life comes at you fast for Florida fans as the Gators were one of the national championship favorites.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest March Madness news.
Iowa HC Ben McCollum Took a Shot at Florida Coach Todd Golden for Being ‘Sensitive’ During March Madness
Florida had just notched a 59-point win over Prairie View in the first round. The Gators were a 10.5-point favorite over Iowa heading into the Round of 32 matchup in the March Madness odds.
During a media timeout amid the game, McCollum revealed what Golden took issue with that led to the exchange.
“I don’t know, I mean, they’re just going for the ball and then everybody got all sensitive,” McCollum said referencing Florida’s coaching staff. “And then everybody got sensitive and it’s like, oh, they’re just going for the ball. It’s whatever, we’ll compete, we’ll fight, we’ll see what happens.”
Florida HC Todd Golden on Controversy vs. Iowa: ‘I Was Told That They Threw a Punch’
Golden provided some insight on his frustration during the game. The Florida coach claimed an Iowa player threw a punch during the scramble.
“Yeah, I was told that they threw a punch, but it didn’t connect so it didn’t go any higher than a flagrant 1,” Golden explained after Florida’s loss, per Gator Country. “I’m not exactly sure what this means. I still don’t understand why Condo got a technical.
“They were both fighting for the ball equally, condo was just stronger and pulled him down to the floor. But they were both grabbing the ball. It was a confusing play and I’m not really sure how that landed on that result.”
Iowa Is Still a March Madness Underdog in Sweet 16
Despite the win, Iowa will still play its familiar role of the underdog in the Sweet 16. No. 4 Nebraska is a 1.5-point favorite over Iowa in the next round, per FanDuel.
Just in case you were wondering, Iowa is a massive +10000 underdog to win the national championship. By comparison, Michigan is the slight favorite to win the NCAA Tournament at +300. Arizona is next in line at +320 followed by Duke at +420 and Houston at +750.
Even if Iowa fails to advance, the Hawkeyes still provided one of the moments of the NCAA Tournament following the team’s thrilling win over Florida.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post March Madness Handshake Snub Turns Heads Minutes After Massive Upset appeared first on Heavy Sports.