Prairie View A&M scored a huge First Four victory against Lehigh University on Wednesday. Their 67-55 victory marked the program's first NCAA March Madness tournament victory. In post-game comments, Panthers head coach Byron Smith reflected on the journey to this moment, including Prairie View A&M's 2018 First Four defeat to Fairleigh Dickinson.
“The first time we were here — 2019 — we got off to a great start. I think we were up by 11 at halftime. But we didn’t finish. So obviously, you always want to get off to a fast start, but the main thing was to finish. And I think we did that.
He added, “We defended, we flew around, and we caused a lot of problems with our quickness and athleticism against Lehigh. Well-coached team — they’ve got good players, and it was no accident they were here. We really focused on the defensive side. We swarmed them, we swiped at the basketball, we took away their high-low action. Almost everything they wanted to do, we had an answer for it. And it paid off tonight.”
For Cory Wells and Dontae Horn, the key to success in the victory ultimately lay in their aggressive defense.
“We knew we had the quickness and athleticism to be able to stunt and double. They had a little size advantage, so we tried to play the game. They were crabbing a lot, so we threw two at them and tried to fly around after that just to disrupt them,” Wells said.
“Same thing he said. We were just trying to disrupt them. We knew we had the quickness and athleticism. We were just digging in and helping out, because he was undersized. We just had to help,” Horn expressed.
Smith also talked about the significance of three HBCUs-Tennessee State, Howard, and Prairie View A&M-being represented in the March Madness tournament field for the first time in 32 years.
“For any program, it means a lot when you can win in the NCAA tournament. But obviously, we are an HBCU. Just a proud moment. My biggest thing is I’ve been around the block — I’ve been in the tournament as a player, as an assistant coach, and now as a head coach. But for me to see these young men, the look on their face, the excitement — it’s kind of like a dream come true. Everybody grows up watching this tournament and wanting to be a part of it. I’m just glad I was able to be here with them and share this moment. It’s definitely a happy time at Prairie View.”
But Smith and the Panthers are already preparing for their next matchup against the NCAA champions in Florida.
“We’re definitely going to have to tweak some things. They’ve got a 6’11″ monster down in Gainesville by the name of Ruben Chinello, and they’ve got probably four or five guys who are going to be playing on TNT or ESPN in about eight or nine months. We’ve got to figure some things out. Todd Golden is one of the top young coaches in the country — well-respected, does a great job. But in life, no test, no testimony. We’re going to be tested going into Tampa. But we look forward to it.”
