Florida (14-13/7-7 SEC) vs. Kentucky (18-9/9-5 SEC) Feb. 22, 2023 at 7PM
Florida (14-13/7-7 SEC) vs. Kentucky (18-9/9-5 SEC) Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center | Billy Donovan Court Gainesville, Fla. | Feb. 22, 2023 | 7 p.m.
Orange & Blue Stripe Out: Free t-shirts will be placed on every seat courtesy of Meldon Law (shirt design & orange/blue section map attached).
TV ESPN | ESPN App PxP: Tom Hart | Analyst: Jimmy Dykes
Radio Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | SiriusXM 137/190 & SXM App 961 Streaming on FloridaGators.com & The Varsity Network App PxP: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
Gators at a Glance
* Florida looks for a split with Kentucky, but must do so without Colin Castleton (broken hand), who dominated the post in the first meeting with 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and a steal, while limiting Oscar Tshiebwe to 2-for-14 shooting and four points.
* Colin Castleton's injury poses a significant loss for the Gators as he has led UF in scoring (16.0), rebounding (7.7), blocked shots (78) and free throws made (113) . Kyle Lofton has a team-high 85 assists and 25 steals, and Will Richard paces Florida with 40 made 3-pointers and a .400 3-point percentage.
* Florida ranks 21st in defensive efficiency and 11th in two-point field goal percentage defense nationally (KenPom). As a team, the Gators' 5.6 blocked shots per game are tied for fifth in the NCAA. Individually, Colin Castleton's 3.00 blocked shots per game rank fourth the nation.
* The Gators got a season-high 25 points from freshmen in Saturday's game at Arkansas as Riley Kugel had a team-leading 17 and Aleks Szymczyk added eight in the first extended minutes of his career.
* Over the past four games, Kyle Lofton has a 23 assists and just two turnovers. His 3.21 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference play ranks second in the SEC.
* Florida's last four regular season opponents are all teams the Gators have faced this season. UF looks for a split vs. Kentucky and Vanderbilt and a sweep vs. Georgia and LSU.
* Todd Golden is Florida's only first-year head coach with multiple top-25 wins since John Lotz in the 1973-74 season, topping #2 Tennessee and #20 Missouri. Only Golden, Lotz and Tommy Bartlett (three, 1966-67) have done so in UF history.
* The Gators have played a top-25 schedule in the nation (KenPom) that also included the most challenging four-game stretch in program history that featured three top-five opponents (two on the road) and a trip to Kentucky.
* Prior to his injury, Colin Castleton had four straight 20-point games, including a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double at #3 Alabama. He had also led the Gators in scoring in eight consecutive contests.
* Colin Castleton's 20 points and nine rebounds led the Gators' win vs. #2 Tennessee, along with Kyle Lofton's 14 points and four rebounds. Both Lofton and Will Richard posted a +26 plus-minus. The win marked Florida's sixth all-time top-2 win and matched the highest ranked home win in program history.
* With his outing at Kentucky, Colin Castleton became the first player since Dwyane Wade 20 years ago (3/8/03 vs. UK) to post 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and a steal against an SEC team.
* Florida turned in a complete performance vs. South Carolina, where Castleton's 18 points led five scorers in double figures and the Gators dished a season-high 21 assists vs. five turnovers. Myreon Jones flirted with a triple-double with 10 rebounds and eight assists to go along with nine points and zero turnovers.
* UF built a 16-point first-half lead at Mississippi State, then staved off the Bulldogs' rally, getting a stop on the final possession of the game to seal the win. Colin Castleton posted 13 points, while Will Richard added 12 on 4-for-5 shooting from 3-point range. Kyle Lofton and Myreon Jones combined for 11 assists and zero turnovers, and Lofton chipped in a season-high and team-leading eight rebounds.
* Colin Castleton earned SEC Player of the Week honors on Jan. 16 behind strong performances in wins at LSU and vs. #20 Missouri. At LSU, Castleton posted 18 points and five blocks with a career night at the free throw line (12-for-15) to help the Gators snap LSU's 13-game home winning streak. He followed up with an all-around performance against Mizzou, tallying 16 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
* UF's 19-point rally at Florida State marked the fourth-largest in team history and the largest on the road since a 22-point comeback at South Carolina on Feb. 24, 1993. Castleton scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half.