The Florida Gators wasted no time in sending a big message in their first-round NCAA Tournament victory.
The Florida Gators were coming off of a tough loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores in the SEC Tournament, a defeat that had many wondering if Todd Golden's squad was a bit vulnerable heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Well, No. 1 Florida began its title defense with a resounding, historic victory against No. 16 Prairie View A&M on Friday night, routing the Panthers by a score of 114-55. It represented the second-largest margin of victory in tournament history.
It was a bit dicey for the Gators early on, as the score was tied 15-15, but Florida proceeded to take a 60-21 lead into halftime and further expanded upon their insurmountable edge in the second half.
Boogie Fland scored 16 points to pace seven Gators players in double figures, and Florida shot a blistering 64.3 percent from the floor.
Remember the three-point shooting that was such an issue during the regular season? It wasn't a problem for Florida on Friday evening, as it shot 10-for-22 from downtown.
The Gators also outrebounded Prairie View A&M 47-17 and racked up 29 assists on 45 made field goals. Meanwhile, the Panthers — who went 19-18 this season — finished with just six dimes on the night.
Florida Gators coach Todd Golden. Credit: Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.Florida also totaled 64 points in the paint to just 10 for its overwhelmed opponent, and the Gators led by as many as 63 in the affair.
Of course, this wasn't much of a litmus test for Florida, which improved to 27-7 with the triumph.
Prior to losing to Vanderbilt, the Gators had rattled off 12 straight wins by an average of 20.5 points, so a blowout against a 16-seed in the first round of the Big Dance was certainly expected.
Things are about to get tougher for Florida, however, as it will face No. 9 Iowa — which defeated Clemson on Friday — in the Round of 32.
Golden is prepared for a tough matchup.
“It definitely will be, a battle of tempo, a battle of pace," Golden said of the upcoming Iowa clash. "And, you know, obviously Ben's (McCollum) a great coach. Bennett (Stirtz) is a great player. They played really good basketball, and it's going to be a great challenge.”
Florida will battle Iowa on Sunday evening at 7:10 p.m. ET.
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