Alvaro Folgueiras drained a wide-open 3-pointer from the right corner with 4.5 seconds remaining to lift Iowa to a dramatic 73-72 victory over defending national champion Florida in a South Region second-round NCAA Tournament game.

The Gators’ Xaivian Lee, who finished with 17 points, could not get a shot off in the final seconds after driving down the court, failing to connect with Thomas Haugh in front of the basket. The win advances first-year Iowa coach Ben McCollum’s ninth-seeded Hawkeyes to their first Sweet 16 since 1999, setting up a Big Ten showdown Thursday in Houston against No. 4 seed Nebraska.

Tavian Banks led Iowa with 20 points and six rebounds, while Folgueiras added 14 points. Sharpshooter Bennett Stirtz scored 13 points despite going 0-for-9 from three-point range, and Cooper Koch chipped in 12 points on four 3-pointers.

For Florida, Alex Condon had 21 points and seven assists, and Haugh added 19 points. The Gators tied Iowa in rebounds at 27 apiece, despite leading the nation in that category.

West Region

No. 1 Arizona 78, No. 9 Utah State 66

Jaden Bradley scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half as Arizona held off a late Utah State comeback in San Diego. The Wildcats (34-2) advance to their third consecutive Sweet 16 and fourth in five years, facing No. 4 seed Arkansas Thursday in San Jose, Calif. Motiejus Krivas recorded 11 points and 14 rebounds, nine on the offensive glass, while Koa Peat added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Utah State was led by Garry Clark’s 13 points, MJ Collins Jr.’s 12, Drake Allen’s 11, and Mason Falslev’s eight.

No. 2 Purdue 79, No. 7 Miami 69

Fletcher Loyer scored a game-high 24 points on just seven shots, including four 3-pointers, to lift Purdue (29-8) past Miami in St. Louis. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 19 points and nine rebounds. Purdue will face 11th-seeded Texas in the regional semifinals Thursday.

Miami was paced by Shelton Henderson with 18 points and eight rebounds, Malik Reneau with 16, and Tre Donaldson with 13 points.

Midwest Region

No. 2 Iowa State 82, No. 7 Kentucky 63

Despite missing star forward Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State’s defense dominated Kentucky, forcing 20 turnovers that led to 25 points. Tamin Lipsey scored 26 points with 17 after halftime and dished 10 assists. Milan Momcilovic added 20 points, Nate Heise 12, and freshman Killyan Toure 10 points.

Kentucky’s Denzel Aberdeen scored 20 points, and Otega Oweh added 18 points and eight rebounds.

No. 6 Tennessee 79, No. 3 Virginia 72

Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 21 points with six assists as Tennessee overcame Virginia in Philadelphia. Bishop Boswell added 13 points and nine assists, while freshman Nate Ament contributed 16 points. Tennessee (24-11) advances to face No. 2 Iowa State in the Midwest semifinals.

Virginia was led by Belgian freshman Thijs De Ridder with 22 points, Malik Thomas with 12, and Jacari White and Chance Mallory with 10 apiece.

No. 4 Alabama 90, No. 5 Texas Tech 65

Latrell Wrightsell scored 24 points as Alabama overwhelmed Texas Tech with a relentless 3-point attack in Tampa. Houston Mallette added 15 points on three-pointers, Amari Allen had 12 points, and Aiden Sherrell scored 10. Alabama (25-9) will meet top-seeded Michigan Friday in Chicago.

LeJuan Watts led Texas Tech with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Donovan Atwell and Leon Horner contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.

East Region

No. 5 St. John’s 67, No. 4 Kansas 65

Dylan Darling’s buzzer-beating points lifted St. John’s to a 67-65 victory over Kansas, sending the Red Storm to their first Sweet 16 since 1999. Bryce Hopkins led St. John’s with 18 points on 6-of-9 3-point shooting. Kansas’ Darryn Peterson scored 21 points, but the Jayhawks could not overcome a 14-point second-half deficit.

No. 2 UConn 73, No. 7 UCLA 57

Alex Karaban scored a career-high 27 points and Braylon Mullins added 17 to guide UConn past UCLA. The Huskies (31-5) will face No. 3 Michigan State in the East Region semifinals. Tarris Reed Jr. contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds. Xavier Booker scored 12 points for UCLA, who struggled after a strong first half.

-Field Level Media/Reuters