The top-seeded Florida Gators will compete against the 16th-seeded Prairie View A&M Panthers in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The game is scheduled for Friday at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla., with a tipoff time of 9:25 p.m. ET.
The Gators are entering the tournament with a record of 26-7, while the Panthers stand at 19-17. Florida is coming off a 91-74 loss to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament semi-finals. Prairie View A&M secured their spot after a 67-55 victory over Lehigh in Wednesday’s First Four matchup.
Gators Favoured Heavily
The latest odds list the Gators as 35.5-point favourites. The over/under for total points scored is set at 154.5. The money line is Florida -100000 and Prairie View A&M +6750.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulated the game 10,000 times. Before making any picks, it is advisable to check out the model’s predictions.
SportsLine Model’s Predictions
The SportsLine Projection Model has simulated every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks.
The model projects the Panthers to have three players score 19 points or more, including Dontae Horne, who is projected to score 19. The Gators are projected to have six players score 11 points or more, led by Thomas Haugh, who is projected to score 20. The model is projecting 157 combined points.
- The SportsLine model is going Over on the total (155.5 points).
- The Over has hit in five of the last nine Florida games.
- Prairie View A&M is 10-0 against the spread in its last 10 games.
- Florida is 6-4 ATS in its last 10.
Where to Find the Spread Pick
The model simulated every possession of the game 10,000 times and indicates one side of the spread cashes nearly 60% of the time.
The Gators won the SEC regular-season title with a 16-2 conference mark and have won 12 of their last 13 games. The Panthers finished eighth in the SWAC standings at 9-9 and have won eight in a row.
Visit SportsLine to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that just simulated this game.