Gators rout Prairie View in record-setting night in NCAA opening round

Florida's Alex Condon dunks the ball against Corey Dunning of the Prairie View during the Gators' NCAA Tournament opening win Friday night at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)TAMPA — Florida opened its national title defense looking like a team capable of repeating.

The top-seeded Gators coasted past Prairie View 114-55 Friday night, putting last weekend’s SEC Tournament no-show behind them while making a statement on the sport’s biggest stage at the expense of an exhausted, outmanned opponent.

Playing their sixth game in 11 days, the No. 16 Panthers (19-18) put up an early fight as 33.5-point underdog, the largest point spread in the past 27 NCAA…