Florida begins title defense with 59-point rout of Prairie View, 2nd-biggest margin in NCAA tourney

By Canadian Press on March 20, 2026.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Florida began its national title defense with the second-largest victory margin in NCAA Tournament history, pounding Prairie View A&M 114-55 on Friday night.

Boogie Fland scored 16 points to lead seven players in double figures for the top-seeded Gators (27-7), whose 59-point margin fell short of only Loyola Chicago’s 111-42 win over Tennessee Tech in 1963. Florida advanced to face the South Region’s No. 9 seed, Iowa, in the second round on Sunday.

Florida went on runs of 18-0 and 17-0 in the first half to turn a 15-all tie into a 60-21 lead at the break. The Gators shot 75% before halftime and 64.3% for the game against the 16th-seeded Panthers (19-18).

Late in the second half, 7-foot-9 freshman Olivier Rioux — the world’s tallest teenager before he turned 20 last month — got in on the action with a putback dunk.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Fred Goodall, The Associated Press