Prairie View A&M(PVAMU) is making history on the national stage.The Panthers secured their first NCAA Tournament victory with a 67-55 win over Lehigh University on Wednesday night in a First Four matchup, continuing a historic run following their Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship.
Prairie View A&M entered the tournament fresh off a 72-66 win over Southern University, where it shot 50% from three. But in this matchup, the Panthers leaned on defense to get the job done.
The Panthers forced 16 turnovers and held the Mountain Hawks to 36% shooting from the field, including just 25% from beyond the arc.
PVAMU also contained Lehigh’s leading scorer, Nasir Whitlock, the Patriot League Tournament MVP, who finished with five points on 2-of-15 shooting.
Corey Wells and Dontae Horne led the charge, combining for 44 points, seven steals and 18 rebounds. Lance Williams, who was tasked with stopping Whitlock added 10 points, as the trio accounted for 54 of the team’s 67 total points.
Head coach Bryan Smith praised his team’s effort following the historic win.
“Definitely gratifying,” Smith told The Associated Press. “A heck of a basketball game. We’re definitely excited to survive and advance and move on to the first round on Friday night.”
Next up is a major test.
They will face defending national champion Florida Gators tonight in the first round. The Panthers will look to join a short list of 16-seeded teams to pull off an upset over a No. 1 seed.
Only two such upsets have occurred in NCAA Tournament history: in 2018, when UMBC defeated Virginia 74-54, and in 2023, when Fairleigh Dickinson stunned Purdue 63-58.
Wells embraced the opportunity ahead.
“As basketball players, you watch every NCAA Tournament, and just to think that you’re here now and you’ll be playing the team who just won last year,” Wells said. “We’re going to go out there and compete regardless.”
With momentum on their side, the Panthers now have a chance to make even more history and continue representing HBCU programs on college basketball’s biggest stage.
