Notable
* The Gators had five players in double figures as they extended their win streak vs. Georgia to seven games.
* Kyle Lofton scored a team-best and season-high 18 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field. He also posted a team-best +12 plus-minus for the game.
* Colin Castleton filled the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, seven blocked shots and five assists.
* Castleton has blocked at least four shots in three straight games.
* It marked his fourth career game with at least seven blocks.
* Castleton is the first Gator since Joakim Noah (3/6/06 vs. Georgia) to post at least 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots in a game.
* Will Richard added 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting (2-for-4 from 3) and a team-leading nine rebounds.
* Myreon Jones scored a season-high 13 and Kowacie Reeves added 12, both off the bench, as the Gators earned a 35-17 edge in bench points.
* Florida overcame an early 13-point deficit, trailing 23-10 at the 10:32 mark in the first half. The Gators outscored Georgia 29-11 through the remainder of the half to take a 39-34 lead into the break.
* UF finished the first half on a 15-2 run and made nine straight field goals to close the half.
* The Gators improved to 3-1 all-time vs. former head coaches. Florida went 2-1 vs. Lon Kruger who, coincidentally, was on hand in Gainesville to be honored for his Nov. 2022 induction into the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Head Coach Todd Golden
Opening statement…
“What I was happy about was when we went with a small lineup, we were still able to defend relatively well. We didn’t rebound great and that is something that we are going to think about moving forward. But we are sitting there down 13 in the first half and we are over there searching for the right matchup, trying to find the right lineups to get us going a little bit. Fortunately, we were able to get what we call a kill, three stops in a row. Then it felt like we opened up and loosened up a little bit. Overall just really proud of our guys. We have been asking a lot of them in terms of staying together and having the right mentality moving forward. Not allowing close losses to take us out of what we know equates to winning. They did a really good job today. Georgia did everything they could. You have to tip your cap to them, they hit some really tough shots down the stretch to make it a game. Deep threes over great contests. You think they might make some of them but not all of them and it felt like they were making all of them. Really proud of our guys, they finished it out today.”
On how much the team needed the win…
“It depends in terms of what we are talking about. For our team it was really important. There are only so many blows you can take before you start having issues with your trust and your belief. As I have said to you our guys have been really good in that way. Going to Auburn, having a chance to win and we lose, let down but they still came back and practiced really hard for us. Texas A&M, bad start but come back and have another chance to win the game and we lose. Those are let downs but our guys have been very consistent in terms of their approach. We had another great practice yesterday. For us to see a win at the end of one of these efforts will be really good for us.”
On having 5 guys in double figures…
“It has been one of our issues in terms of getting multiple guys to play well at the same time and I think part of it was opening up the floor a little for us. Sharing the ball was great. I thought we did really well with our extra passes. We had some really good looks. Shot it just ok but hit some big shots. Any time you have 15 assists and 11 turnovers you are going to take that.”
On Colin Castleton’s performance…
“It would be unfair in terms of putting that expectation on him to be such a complete player every night. But tonight, I thought he did a really good job cleaning up the glass for us. Five more assists today. Seven blocks, was incredible protecting the rim. They were 16 for 48 from two, 33%. We have become a really good two-point percentage field goal defense and he is a big part of that. I am really happy for him because he has done everything he can from a leadership perspective. He practices hard every day. He is getting banged up, a bloody lip. He is bringing a great effort and I think it is really going to pay off for him down the stretch.”
On Will Richard’s performance…
“Very important for him, very important for us. I think he is a guy that was really good for us early in the year. He had a knee injury that just slowed him down. He is an awesome kid and a joy to be around on a daily basis. He embodies what we want in terms of Gators and our program. Hit big shots in the first half, had great drives in the second, finished and made his free throws.”
Grad F Colin Castleton
On the emotions of the game…
“It was great, good to win a basketball game after we lost. We were able to correct some things that we didn’t do well last game, like turning the basketball over. He (Coach Mike White) is our old coach, and I have nothing but respect for him and good luck to him, it was a battle, it was a dogfight for sure, like on the rebounds. It was back and forth, we were able to pull away a little late but they got a good squad so credit to them but we were able to put them away and do a couple extra things.”
On what this game showed about the potential of this team…
“We still have to find a way to put it together as a whole team. We’ve shown fight all season, and we’ve had really close games coming back from a little bit of a hole but if we can just put it all together, obviously our record would be a little bit different and we’d win a couple more close games, but moving forward we can’t have any more slip ups and we have to be able to win those games. So coming out with the right mindset is what Coach Golden has been telling us, so we just need to come out with the right approach and just win these games, that’s the bottom line.”
Grad G Kyle Lofton
On the turnaround…
“Just staying solid and not quitting. We had a few open looks that didn’t drop. We emphasized getting stops on the defensive end and that’s really where it mattered at. We got the shots we wanted and they eventually started falling. We started putting pressure on them and the game opened up from there.”
On the execution down the stretch…
“Just being the senior and older point guard out there, controlling the team, making sure we got good shots, that was definitely the key down the stretch, you don’t want to turn the ball over. And making sure we got good shots and got to the foul line, and huddling up and saying we got to get a stop on the other end.”
Grad G Myreon Jones
On his out of bounds save…
“It was a momentum swing. I just try to bring the energy coming off the bench, and yeah I just try to bring the energy.”
On his confidence and his play today…
“I think it was the shots I was taking. I was in a rhythm and just ready to shoot. Taurean Green emphasizes a lot to be ready to shoot instead of just catching it and then wanting to shoot, just be ready before the ball gets there. My teammates found me, and I just made it.”
