The Florida Gators opened their NCAA Tournament with a 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M.
Usually after games there will be a more creative opening than simply stating the facts, but with a score so lopsided it should probably speak for itself. It was an incredible feat for Prairie View A&M just to get to this point, as they needed a three-game win streak late in the Southwestern Athletic Conference to finish as the 8-seed, positioning themselves where they could beat the 1, 2, and 3-seeds to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Then, despite being favored to lose to Lehigh in the First Four, they once again defied the odds and won. It wasn’t a conventional Cinderella run but it was incredible work in the final weeks of the season, but that all came to an end when they ran into Florida.
Coming off the SEC Tournament where they did not play their best basketball, the Gators were focused, energetic, and borderline angry. They came out with maximum effort, and though Prairie View A&M was able to keep things close for the first few minutes with some uncharacteristic shot making, from that point on the Gators got their prey in their grasp and started the deathroll. Finishing the first half on a 45-6 run the Gators put this one out of reach early, and even before halftime it looked like both teams would have been content for a mercy rule or running clock.
Florida won the rebounding category 54-20. They also had 64 points in the paint to Prairie View A&M’s 10. Fast break points were 18-2. Assists were 29-6. Whatever stat you want to look at–Florida dominated.
Seven Gators finished in double figures, with Boogie Fland leading the way with 16 points. Rueben Chinyelu had 13 rebounds, while Thomas Haugh had 7 assists (with 0 turnovers). Other than that, most individual stats didn’t jump off the page since the Gators played unselfishly and allowed everyone to eat, also giving everyone a chance to get their feet underneath them in the NCAA Tournament setting.
Given Florida’s somewhat shaky shooting throughout the season it was particularly great to see the Gators go 10-22 (45%) from deep. If you’ve been following the news around the tournament you will have heard about the balls that have had a strange feel and too much inflation (on account of most players) which has resulted in some poor shooting and turnover issues in other sessions. That wasn’t the case for Florida, and they’ll hope to carry that through to some games where they meet stiffer competition.
According to KenPom, Prairie View A&M was the lowest ranked team in the entire field, which isn’t surprising given that they finished 8th in one of the lower performing leagues in the country. For that reason it may be difficult to have any grand takeaways from this game, but Florida’s ability to knock down shots, play unselfishly, and protect the ball while gaining offensive rhythm will be encouraging.
The Gators will now prepare for their Round Of 32 matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes, a team that will present an extremely unique challenge due to their snail’s pace of play and the threat of Bennett Stirtz, their elite point guard. That game will take place on Sunday, March 22nd, but as of this article publishing the tip-off time is yet to be announced.
Florida Gators guard Boogie Fland (0) dribbles the ball during the game against the Saint Francis Red Flash at Stephen C. O'Connell Center on December 17, 2025 in Gainesville, Florida. Gator Country Photo by Kan Li.