Gators Tip Off NCAA Tournament with Rebounding Edge

0:00On March 20, top-seated Florida Gators tip off their 2026 NCAA Tournament run Friday night against 16th-seated Prairie View, A and M. The Gators enter with a 26-in-7 record after dominating the SEC, while the Panthers sit at 19 and 17. Gain time is 9.25 pm. Eastern at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa. Florida grabs the number one seed for the second year in a row under coach Todd Golden, marking the fourth time in program history. They lead the nation in rebounding margins at plus 14.5 per game, averaging 16.1 offensive boards and 45 points, four total. The Gators also top charts an offensive rebound percentage and pain scoring, a trio of all SEC big men, Thomas Hugh, Alex Condon and Ruben Chengilu power the front court, leading scoring or rebounding in nearly every game. Chen Ye-Lu ranks third nationally in rebounding at 11.5 per game and ties for eighth and

1:03double doubles with 18. He's chasing Gator history as the first 10 rebound guy since the 1970s. During a 12-game win streak to close the regular season, Florida outshot foes by huge margins and averaged over 19 assists. They crushed ranked teams by number 20 Arkansas by 34, number 23 Alabama by 23 and swept the SEC title with. Back to back 100 point games, something rare in program lore. Tune in on TNT with Tom McCarthy, Candice Parker and Al Bonner calling the action or stream via the March Madness app with their rebounding edge in momentum, the Gators look prime to roll deep into March Madness.