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Florida opens the NCAA Tournament as a massive favorite over Prairie View A&M in a game that the Gators should be able to handle with ease. 

It’s a minor miracle the Panthers have even made it this far. 

After finishing just 19-17 overall and 9-9 in-conference in the regular season, Prairie View had to make an unlikely run as the No. 8 seed in the SWAC tournament just to punch its ticket to March Madness.

Then, the Panthers stayed alive in the First Four, knocking off Lehigh 67-55 on Wednesday thanks to 25 points from Dontae Horne for the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

I’m betting the Cinderella run ends here, with the defending champs winning a classic 1-16 blowout that kicks off what should be a long tournament run.

The mismatch shows up not only in the massive spread, but in the power ratings too, with Florida sitting No. 4 at KenPom and Prairie View A&M down at No. 280. 

The latter is, by far, the lowest of any team in the tournament.

A Florida player in a white and blue jersey points a finger up.Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) reacts after a made three point basket against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Gators’ loss in the SEC semifinal will be a blessing for their national title chances, and Prairie View A&M comes into the game on a high after their recent run. 

No. 16 seeds coming off a First Four win have lost by an average of 23 points – and often as much as 40-plus – since the extra games came into the picture in 2011.

That list included many more talented teams than the out-of-nowhere Panthers.

Betting on College Basketball?

Don’t let Duke’s nail-biter against Siena scare you off. 

This is a much worse No. 16 seed team.

The play: Florida -34.5 (-115, BetMGM Sportsbook)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.