Gators Star Rueben Chinyelu Breaks Another Program Record in NCAA Tournament Win

TAMPA, Fla.-- It felt inevitable, and now Rueben Chinyelu stands alone at the top of the Florida Gators' record books.

In Florida's 114-55 win over Prairie View A&M on Friday in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64, Chinyelu recorded his program-record 19th double-double of the season with a 13-point, 14-rebound effort. The record was previously held by Bob Smyth, who had 18 during the 1975-76 season.

Chinyelu, a junior from Nigeria, tied the record on March 3 with an 11-point, 16-rebound performance in the blowout win over Mississippi State, after which Chinyelu received a congratulatory message from Smyth's family.

"Just having them reach out to me and saying how they feel really good just hearing his name called again, so that's just a big thing to me, and I really respect that and value that," Chinyelu said. "I'm trying to just do whatever I can to just keep doing that and just paying homage to him."

Rueben Chinyelu had 14 points and 13 rebounds in the Florida Gators' win over Prairie View A&M. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Chinyelu's efforts this season, where he averages 11.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, headlines a dominant performance by Florida's frontcourt this season, a dominance that was evident in Florida's win over the Panthers.

While setting program records for points (114) and assists (29) in an NCAA Tournament game, the Gators' 59-point win is the second-largest in NCAA Tournament history. Florida out-scored Prairie View A&M, 64-10, while out-rebounding the Panthers, 54-20. Chinyelu's 13 rebounds led the game.

"He does a great job of wearing his opponents down," head coach Todd Golden said. "In the first half when we started getting stops, it felt like he was getting every defensive rebound, he was getting good outlets and getting us out in transition. But 14 and 13, I thought he did a really good job of controlling the paint and staying aggressive on the glass, and he's at his best when he's playing that way."

Chinyelu's 2025-26 season has been nothing short of spectacular with now two program records to his name. Earlier this season, he broke Dwayne Davis' single-season offensive rebounding record of 114. He currently has 137 in 34 games this season.

Meanwhile, Florida's big win to open the NCAA Tournament comes after a tough performance in the SEC Tournament, while also being a standout game due to other one-seeds, such as Duke and Michigan, having some struggles in their games against 16-seeds. Still, last year's title gives Florida a big target on their backs.

Rueben Chinyelu walks off the floor after Florida's win over Prairie View A&M in the NCAA Tournament. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

As other teams consider Florida the team to beat, Chinyelu said the team does not look back to last year's title as motivation.

"I would say defending champion, that's history," he said. "I would say like everybody could be on the same page as me telling that we don't care about that one. That one is gone. This is a new team so we're just going out there because the championship is right there to grab."

The Gators continue its quest for another national title on Sunday against nine-seed Iowa. Tip-off is slated for 7:10 p.m. with television coverage on TBS.