NCAA Tournament: Florida vs. Prairie View A&M Prediction, Odds, And How To Watch

Prairie View A&M earned its first win in the NCAA Tournament when the Panthers defeated Lehigh in the First Four.

The Panthers, who are 19-17 overall, had won their previous seven games before that, including the SWAC Championship against Southern. Now No. 16-seeded Prairie View A&M will take on a No. 1 seed in the first round of March Madness.

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The Panthers will play Florida, which is 26-7 overall. The Gators had won 12 consecutive games before losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament semifinals. 

Florida will now have a chance to respond and bounce back in the NCAA Tournament.

Florida vs. Prairie View A&M Odds

Prairie View A&M is a +35.5 college basketball betting odds underdog against Florida, with the Over/Under being 155.5 points as of this writing. 

The moneyline for Prairie View A&M is +8000.

Florida vs. Prairie View A&M On TV

The matchup between Florida and Prairie View A&M will be televised on TNT. The game will tip off at 9:25 p.m. ET on Friday, March 20. 

The contest is taking place at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Florida vs. Prairie View A&M Prediction

I predict Florida will win and cover the 35.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Over 155.5 total points.

It’s impressive that Prairie View A&M was able to reach this point. Led by head coach Byron Smith, the Panthers have found a way to play at their best late in the season. Their last loss was against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and that was on Feb. 22 when Prairie View A&M was 11-17 overall and 6-9 in conference play.

But Florida is regarded as one of the best teams in the country for a reason.

The Gators are 12th in the nation in scoring offense with 86.8 points per game. They’re well-rounded, too. 

They have five players – Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, Xaivian Lee, and Rueben Chinyelu – who are averaging at least 11 points per game. Haugh paces the Gators with 17.1 points per contest.

Florida is also in the top 50 in the nation in terms of field goal percentage on offense (47.8%) and defense (40.8%). And you can’t forget that Florida is the best team in Division I basketball with a rebounding margin of plus-14.

I fully expect Florida to be in control of this game early and win in a blowout.