Florida's national title defense began with a historic 114-55 demolition of Prairie View A&M, marking the second-largest victory margin in NCAA tournament history. Boogie Fland led seven Florida players in double figures with 16 points as the top-seeded Gators (27-7) overwhelmed the 16th-seeded Panthers (19-18) in a 59-point rout.

Florida's 114 points were the most in the NCAA tournament since Tennessee's 121 in 2007, according to ESPN Research. The Gators went on 18-0 and 17-0 runs in the first half to turn a 15-all tie into a 60-21 halftime lead. Florida shot 75% before halftime and 64.3% for the game. 7-foot-9 freshman Olivier Rioux added a putback dunk late in the second half.

Rueben Chinyelu contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon each added 14 and 13 points respectively. Prairie View's early 3-point shooting kept them competitive initially, but Florida's dominant frontcourt proved too much. The Panthers, who advanced to March Madness after a 5-27 season last year, now own two of the three largest losses in NCAA tournament history.