Prairie View A&M’s March Madness prayers were not answered on Friday against top-seeded Florida.
The 16-seed Panthers hung tight with the 1-seed Gators early in their NCAA Tournament clash at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla. The two teams were tied at 15 nearly midway through the first half.
That’s when Florida flipped the switch and showed why it earned the top seed in the South Region. The Gators went on an 18-0 run across the next five minutes, prompting Panthers head coach Byron Smith to call a timeout.
Smith was interviewed during the stoppage in play and asked what his Prairie View players needed to slow down Florida.
“They would need some help from the Lord,” Smith admitted.
"We need some help from the lord"
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 21, 2026
Prairie View coach Byron Smith told @AJRoss_TV they need some help against Florida pic.twitter.com/a4iLEVvDrO
After throwing up a prayer for his players, Smith brought it back to basketball.
“They’re very good. They’re very good,” Smith continued. “We’ve just got to keep defending. Try to switch our defenses. Try to throw them off. But they’ve been very efficient. So, we’ve just got to keep plugging away. … They’re a very, very good team.”
Despite Prairie View A&M’s head coach begging for divine intervention, nothing could stop Florida from steamrolling the underdogs the way a 1-seed should. The basketball gods heard Smith’s prayers but simply favored Todd Golden’s boys.
The 18-0 run turned into a 45-6 avalanche through halftime, giving Florida a 60-21 lead at the break. The gap swelled even more in the second half as the Gators made a statement in their 114-55 demolition of the Panthers.
The first round of the NCAA Tournament has already given college hoops fans some memorable quotes. Villanova head coach Kevin Willard has been under fire for making a polarizing joke during his own in-game interview.
