Prairie View A&M’s historic basketball season came to an end with a 114-55 defeat against the top-seeded and reigning national champion Florida Gators in the NCAA Tournament first round. The Panthers, who captured their first SWAC championship in recent memory, faced an uphill battle against a Florida team featuring seven or eight returning players from their national championship squad. Coach Byron Smith’s team struggled against the Gators’ size and experience throughout the contest in Houston.
“Yeah, tough game tonight for the Panthers,” Smith reflected after the loss. “Obviously, Florida’s size really caused problems for us. … But I’m proud of my guys. We fought, we competed. Really, really proud of the season that we had.” The Panthers entered the tournament as heavy underdogs but had surged to close the regular season, winning five of their last six games with key contributions from returnees Dontae Horne, Lance Williams, Cory Wells, and Tai’Reon Joseph.
Despite the lopsided final score, Prairie View’s players emphasized the significance of their breakthrough season. “Yeah, this is a tough loss, tough way to end our season, but when you reflect on everything we went through this season, we had a lot of adversity,” said Lance Williams. “We still managed to accomplish a lot of great goals, like a SWAC championship.” The Panthers’ journey to the NCAA Tournament marked a historic achievement for the university and represented a significant milestone for HBCU basketball programs.
Horne echoed his teammate’s sentiments about the season’s accomplishments. “We still had a great season. We made history, went on an amazing run, and can’t overlook that,” Horne said. “We’re glad we made it here. It’s a great story for our younger ones.” Smith acknowledged tactical issues that contributed to the defeat, noting his team “got away from our offense, started playing too much one-on-one,” which allowed Florida’s superior size and championship experience to take control of the game.
The Florida Gators demonstrated their championship pedigree with dominant shooting performances, achieving a 64% field goal percentage, 45% three-point shooting rate, and 78% free throw percentage. “They had 7 or 8 guys returning from a national championship team,” Smith explained. “So we knew that we were going to be… in for a tough task.” The Gators’ experience and depth proved too much for Prairie View, which struggled to match Florida’s pace and physicality throughout the contest.
Smith, now in his 11th year leading the program, reflected on the season’s significance despite the tournament exit. “This is my 11th year. This is the best team, in my opinion, in this university’s history,” Smith said. “I’m very proud. It was a remarkable year. Disappointed, but tomorrow is another day.” The coach highlighted that his staff built the championship team without Name, Image, and Likeness deals, emphasizing that “not one player had an NIL-but they had grit and heart.”
Looking toward the future, Smith acknowledged the challenges of maintaining success while building on this season’s foundation. “Our success this year means we’ll need resources to reload,” Smith said, nodding to athletic director Anton Goff. “We hope to attract student-athletes who match the quality of this team.” The coach expressed optimism about the program’s trajectory, stating that “brighter days are ahead for Prairie View A&M men’s basketball” as the Panthers work to build on their historic SWAC championship season and NCAA Tournament appearance.