Jumpman Invitational
Spectrum Center | Charlotte, N.C.
Dec. 20, 2022 | 9:30 p.m.
TV
ESPN2 | ESPN App
PxP: Jon Sciambi | Analyst: Jay Bilas | Reporter: Angel Gray
Radio
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | SiriusXM 158 or 190 & SXM App 961
Streaming on FloridaGators.com<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=4973> & The Varsity Network App
PxP: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey
Gators at a Glance
* The Gators return to Charlotte for the first time since the team’s Final Four appearance in 1994 as Florida and Oklahoma meet in the Jumpman Invitational.
* It marks the fourth meeting in the seven seasons between UF and OU, ramping up for the schools’ forthcoming Southeastern Conference rivalry. The Gators topped the Sooners in a Jan. 2017 road meeting as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, while OU won the Nov. 2018 Battle 4 Atlantis contest. Oklahoma also took last season’s game in Norman, with a meeting in Gainesville slated for the 2023-24 nonconference schedule to complete the home-and-home series.
* Prior to the recent flurry of showdowns between the Gators and Sooners, Florida won the only previous meeting, a Dec. 1995 overtime victory in Oklahoma City during Lon Kruger’s final season at UF.
* Kowacie Reeves exploded for 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting vs. Ohio, including 4-for-7 from 3-point range, to lead the Gators’ rout in Tampa. Both of Reeves’ collegiate 20-point games have come at Amalie Arena, as his career-high 21 points was vs. Texas A&M at the 2022 SEC Tournament held there.
* Alex Fudge has averaged 13.3 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds over the Gators’ past four games, shooting 18-for-32 (.563) from the field, 3-for-6 from 3-point range, and hitting 14 of 15 free throw attempts (.933). Fudge has a pair of double-doubles over that span, posting 16 and 10 vs. FAMU and 13 and 10 vs. Ohio.
* Florida posted a pair of wins vs. in-state foes (FAMU, Stetson) that saw five Gators score in double figures in both games, led by Trey Bonham’s 23 points vs. Florida A&M and Will Richard’s 14 against Stetson.
* Will Richard has provided efficient scoring from the wing, tallying at least 13 points in seven of his 10 appearances while shooting .567 from the field, .531 from 3-point range and .905 from the free throw line.
* Riley Kugel made his first career start vs. Florida A&M, marking six straight seasons and 15 of the last 16 in which a freshman started at least one game for UF (every season since 2007-08 except 2016-17). Kugel co-led the Gators with 13 points vs. UConn.
* Colin Castleton’s double-double vs. Xavier (11 points, 10 rebounds) marked his 15th as a Gator, tying him with Joakim Noah and Chandler Parsons for fifth-most by a Gator since the 1996-97 season.
* 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.
* Colin Castleton opened the season on fire and posted back-to-back 30-point outings, notching a career-best 33 vs. Kennesaw State and 30 vs. FAU. An individual has recorded back-to-back 30-point games nine times in UF history and Castleton is the seventh different player to accomplish the feat (see page 6 for full list).
* Castleton became the first Gator with a 30-point double-double since Joakim Noah (37/11 vs. Georgia, 3/1/06) and the only SEC player since the 1996-97 season with 30 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots in a game, a stat line he accomplished vs. FAU.
* Golden compiled a 57-36 record over three seasons at San Francisco and led the Dons to their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1998 and their first at-large selection since 1982.
