Florida Gators kick off NCAA Tournament in historic fashion, giving a new meaning to March Madness

It was an incredible performance by the Florida Gators.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Gators guard Isaiah Brown (20) reacts in the second half against the Prairie View A&M Panthers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
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The Florida Gators are looking to become just the second team in NCAA Division I history to win back-to-back national championships twice, and they got off to a great start with a 114-55 victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers.

After the Panthers got a three-point shot to tie the game at 15, the Gators took over and dominated. Going into the game, the Gators were favored by a 21st-century tournament record 35.5 points, and they finished the half on a run that covered the spread on its own.

Florida Gators win first round matchup in historic fashion

It wasn’t just that the Gators won on Friday night; they did so in historic fashion in multiple ways. First off, it was the most points the Gators had ever scored in a tournament game. They put up a whopping 60 in the first half, and didn’t take their foot off the gas, still putting up 54 points after taking out most of their starters with around 10 minutes left.

Second off, it was the second-largest margin of victory in NCAA history. The 59-point margin was the most in the 21st century, and only behind Loyola’s 69-point win over Tennessee Tech in 1963, a game they won 111-42.

Lastly, the Gators didn’t just win, but they crushed the Panthers in nearly every way, especially in the paint. Led by Alex Condon, the Gators outscored the Panthers 64-10 in the paint, including not allowing a single point in the first half.

This is just the first of hopefully six consecutive wins for the Gators, but they showed the nation that their loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores in the SEC Tournament was a fluke and they are a force to be reckoned with. Their next matchup is against the ninth-seed Iowa Hawkeyes, who beat the Clemson Tigers 67-61 to advance.

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