Florida Heading to Rupp Arena on Saturday
Florida (13-9/6-3 SEC) vs. Kentucky (15-7/6-3 SEC) Rupp Arena | Lexington, Ky. Feb. 4, 2023 | 8:30 p.m.
TV ESPN | ESPN App PxP: Tom Hart | Analyst: Jimmy Dykes
Radio Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | SiriusXM 385 & SXM App 975 Streaming on FloridaGators.com & The Varsity Network App PxP: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey
Gators at a Glance
* Florida visits Kentucky for the first of two meetings this season. The Gators have won six of their last seven SEC contests and enter Saturday's matchup off a win vs. #2 Tennessee.
* 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.
* Florida ranks eighth in defensive efficiency nationally (KenPom) as Florida has held SEC opponents to .363 from the field and .238 from 3-point range. The Gators have held 11 of their last 12 opponents under .400 from the field.
* Colin Castleton leads UF in scoring (15.1), rebounding (7.7), blocked shots (68), free throws made (89) and co-leads alongside Trey Bonham in steals (21). Kyle Lofton tops the Gators with 62 assists, and Will Richard paces Florida with 35 made 3-pointers and a .412 3-point percentage.
* As a team, the Gators' 5.9 blocked shots per game rank third in the NCAA. Individually, Castleton's 3.09 blocked shots per game also rank third the nation.
* Florida turned in a complete performance vs. South Carolina, where Colin 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 -- both career highs -- to go along with nine points and zero turnovers.
* Six SEC schools hired new head coaches in 2022, including Florida. Todd Golden has posted a 5-0 mark against his fellow first-year coaches around the league and swept his first time through last offseason's hires.
* 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 two strong performances in the 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). He followed up with an all-around performance against Mizzou, tallying 16 points, 13 rebounds, a career-high six assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
* The Gators' win at LSU snapped the Tigers' 13-game home winning streak. As UF made its second-half run, the Gators got timely 3-pointers from Myreon Jones and Riley Kugel, each of whom assisted on the other's big basket.
* The Gators had five players in double figures in their win vs. UGA, led by Kyle Lofton's season-high 18. Colin Castleton posted 12 points, eight rebounds, seven blocked shots and five assists, while Will Richard added 14 points and nine rebounds.
* 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.
