Gators Kick Off Title Defense vs Prairie View

0:00On March 20th, the Florida Gators kick off their run for a second straight national championship, Friday night against the 16th-seated Prairie. View and Empanthers The top-seated Gators, with a 26-and-7 record, face the Swach Champs, who just notched their first-ever March Madness victory. Both teams tip off at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, giving Florida a big home-state edge. The match-up starts at 9.25pm Eastern Time, and airs live on TNT. Fans can also catch it on the Gator Sports Network Radio broadcast. Prairie View enters at 19.17, looking to pull off a massive upset in their first tournament win since 2006. Coaches and players see the local crowd as a boost, even with extra fan energy around. The Gators handled similar buys before, and are pumped to perform in front of supporters right in their backyard. Florida leads the all-time series one-to-nothing after a blowout win back in 2006, when stars like Al Hoerford and Marie Spades dominated.

1:01The Gators boasts a strong tournament resume at 54 wins and 22 losses overall, chasing their fourth title in eyeing history as the. First repeat champs since UCLA's streak decades ago. The winner advances to Sunday's second round in Tampa, against the survivor of 9th-seated Iowa and 8th-seated Clemson. With momentum building, these early games set the stage for another Deep Gators run.