The No. 1 Florida Gators dismantled the No. 16 Prairie View A&M Panthers in the first round of the men's NCAA Tournament.
The Florida Gators were blown out by Vanderbilt, 91-74, in the SEC Tournament semifinal last weekend. At 26-7, the Gators were named the fourth No. 1 seed of the men's NCAA Tournament and viewed by many as the most vulnerable No. 1 seed.
The reigning national champions had doubters right where they wanted them.
The Gators looked utterly dominant against the No. 16 Prairie View A&M Panthers in their first-round matchup out of the South region on Friday night. Florida held a 60-21 lead at halftime, and it only got worse for the Panthers from there.
According to ESPN, the Gators' 114-55 victory is the second-largest margin of victory in NCAA Tournament history. Florida's 59-point win is second only to Loyola Chicago destroying Tennessee Tech by 69 points in 1963.
"Florida's 114 points were the most in the NCAA tournament since Tennessee had 121 against Long Beach State in 2007 in the round of 64," ESPN relayed.
Statistics aside, the best part was getting a 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux sighting.
Florida will next face No. 9 Iowa on Sunday at 7:10 p.m. EST.
ESPN's Jay Bilas likes the Gators' chances of making it back to the Sweet 16, mostly because of Florida boasting "arguably the best frontcourt in the nation" behind Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, and Alex Condon.
Against Prairie View, Florida had seven double-digit scorers. If the Gators can run that deep for the entirety of the tournament, they'll be an overwhelming matchup for anyone. And if the Gators can get past Iowa, they no longer have to worry about a rematch with No. 5 Vanderbilt after the Commodores lost in heartbreaking fashion to No. 4 Nebraska.
Nebraska isn't a consolation prize, however. The Cornhuskers won their first NCAA Tournament game in program history on Thursday and followed that up with a feisty 74-72 win over Vandy. Pryce Sandfort and Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Braden Frager would keep Florida on its toes, but the Gators should be up to the challenge.
First, the Gators have to beat Iowa.
