Records: Florida 18-11 (8-8 SEC); Georgia 6-23 (1-15 SEC)
Next up for Florida: at Vanderbilt, Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Notable
* Florida picked up the 84-72 victory with a season-high 14 made 3-pointers. Athens native Phlandrous Fleming Jr. led the way with 27 points, his most as a Gator and his second 20-point game of the season (20 vs. Stony Brook).
* It marked the Gators’ sixth straight win vs. Georgia, UF’s third-longest win streak in series history (11, 2004-09; nine, 1964-68).
* Tyree Appleby added 21 points with a 5-for-9 performance from 3-point range.
* Appleby hit a 3-pointer on Florida’s first possession for the third straight game.
* Over the last three games, Appleby has averaged 22.0 points per game going 13-for-28 from 3-point range (.464).
* Colin Castleton posted his eighth double-double of the season and 11th of his career with 10 points and 12 rebounds to go along with five assists and three blocked shots.
* Castleton scored or assisted on Florida’s first 16 points, as Florida’s first four 3-pointers came on Castleton kick-outs and he added a pair of jumpers. With those four assists, he had tied his career high fewer than seven minutes into the game and finished with a personal-best five assists, all on 3-pointers.
* Myreon Jones scored 13 points and shot 3-for-8 from 3-point range. In two games vs. Georgia this season, Jones averaged 17.5 points and shot 10-for-19 from 3 (.526).
Head Coach Mike White
On 20 assists and playing without Anthony Duruji…
“It’s as well as we played offensively all year. The shooting percentages speak for themselves… We were 14-of-31 [from three]. When you compliment that with 20 [assists] and 6 [turnovers], you got a chance to beat an SEC opponent. We weren’t perfect defensively, but it’s easier said than done defending Georgia and a Tom Crean team. The initial push, led by Oquendo, was just elite. Their ability to draw fouls, their ability to get downhill… We have to be better defensively here Tuesday night. Can you count on shooting it that well every night? I’m not sure, but I hope we do. It was a pretty good offensive performance by us.”
On Colin Castleton’s performance…
“His ball screen defense has to be great all the time, and for him, it’s in spurts. With the lead late, I thought he altered some shots and blocked some shots. His ceiling is so high defensively. When he’s locked in, we’re that much better. But, five assists and zero turnovers for a 6-10, 6-11 skill guy that you can play through… [Georgia] did a really good job in their attention to detail with sending traffic to Colin. They forced him to make those unselfish, solid decisions. We talked about it all year – there will be a game where he should get five, six or seven assists if we can make some shots around him because he’s been doing it willingly here for a couple of months.”
On how Phlandrous Fleming Jr. played today…
“He made shots and he made plays. His intensity level and his level of competitiveness is no different… I’m telling you, we could call practice in an hour and he would be the same guy. It’s just who he is. I do think he was really locked in. His attention to detail, his focus, his decisions offensively… He was really solid defensively. When you talk to your guys about being locked in, he epitomized it today. He didn’t make many mistakes. He threw a no-look pass that went out of bounds that we jumped on him about. Other than that, he was nearly perfect. He played really, really well and he’s turned himself into a really good player at this level in a hurry. Great attitude, high-character guy, and I’m happy to see him play really well in front of a lot of his people here in his hometown.”
#24 Phlandrous Fleming Jr., Graduate Guard
On how it felt with his family and friends in attendance…
“It felt amazing. This is the first time I’ve played in Athens since I got out of high school. The last time I was in this building was my state championship game, so it felt amazing to see all my friends and family come out and support me. All glory.
On what was working for him in the game…
“I tried to get to my spots. They dropped, so I tried to come up and screen, get to my spots – It’s what I worked on every day. It felt like I was right back in a Cedar Shoals High School jersey again. I was feeling pretty good. Coach told me to keep it simple, don’t try to do too much and that’s what I tried to do – take the right ones and I had success with it.”
On how it feels to get a win in Athens…
“It feels amazing. I did circle this one because I’ve always wanted my family, and everyone who supported me, to be able to see me play without driving six or seven hours. I’m so happy it turned out this way. I think this was how it was supposed to turn out and all glory to God.”
On everyone chipping in to get the win without Anthony Duruji…
“Ant is dealing with some stuff with his body, so we know it’s the next man up. It’s always been our motto. With Jason out for the season, it was next man up. Tuon got some good minutes in today… Rooj was out so we had to adjust. Hopefully, he will be back Tuesday. But, if not, next man up.”
