Florida Gators set NCAA Tournament record in dominant win

TAMPA − The University of Florida men’s basketball team rolled to a record-setting 114-56 win over Prairie View A&M before an orange-and-blue clad, pro-Gator crowd at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa on Friday, March 20.

The Gators’ March Madness run is in full gear as the Gators have advanced to the Round of 32.

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Top-seeded UF (27-7) will now face No. 9 Iowa on Sunday, March 22, at Benchmark International Arena. The Hawkeyes defeated No. 8 Clemson 67-61 after Bennett Stirtz led Iowa with a team-high 16 points. Entering the tournament, Iowa had lost four of its last five games. Iowa’s Kael Combs also recorded 15 points, while Alvaro Folgueiras added 14 points.

Florida Gators basketball roll to historic win

For the Gators, as they began to pull away in the first half against overmatched No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M, an exasperated PVAMU coach Byron Smith was asked during an in-game, TNT interview what he could do to stop UF’s run.

“We need some help from the Lord,” Smith responded.

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On this night, there was no divine intervention, just inside basket after inside basket as the Florida Gators rolled. Florida set a Men’s NCAA Tournament record for margin of victory for a No. 1 seed vs. No. 16 seed (59 points) and a program record for points scored in an NCAA Tournament game.

Florida went on an early 18-0 run to take a 33-15 lead, then followed it up with runs of 10-0 and 17-0 later in the first half to take a 60-21 lead into halftime.

“We have the ability to go on some runs, and we’re at our best when we do that,” Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said after the game. “I have not been a part of a team that’s put three together like that in a half. As I said, I thought our guys did a great job of staying mentally focused, even when we got a big lead, and playing the right way.”

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Publish date : 2026-03-21 12:03:00

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