Sports | Basketball - The Independent Florida Alligator

Forward Colin Castleton shoots the ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks in an 81-60 victory Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

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Florida men’s basketball limps toward finish line as Castleton suffers injury

By Jackson Reyes | Feb. 20, 2023

Florida (14-13, 7-7 SEC) has lost four of its last five games and has slid off the bubble of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. The Gators' chance to dance took a major blow after Castleton went down, and Florida will crawl its way to the finish line with four games left in the season.

Florida guard KK Deans takes a shot in the Gators' 90-79 loss to the Louisiana State Tigers Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023. Deans matched her career-high of 30 points and added five assists.

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Florida falls to LSU despite scorching start

By Austin Stirling | Feb. 19, 2023

The Florida Gators (14-13, 3-11 SEC) fell to the No. 5 LSU Tigers (25-1, 13-1 SEC) 90-79 Sunday, dropping their fifth-straight game.

Florida guard Riley Kugel lays the ball up in the Gators' loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023.

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Florida collapses under fast-paced Arkansas offense in first game without Castleton

By Brandon Hernandez | Feb. 18, 2023

The Florida Gators (14-13, 7-7 SEC) lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks (18-9, 7-7 SEC) 84-65 Saturday at the Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Florida guard Nina Rickards drives to the basket in the Gators' 61-54 win against the Texas A&M Aggies Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

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Florida crushed on road by No. 1 South Carolina

By Topher Adams | Feb. 16, 2023

The Florida Gators (14-12, 3-10 SEC) fell to the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (26-0, 12-0 SEC) 87-56 Thursday night. The Gamecocks outrebounded UF 55-27 in the dominant victory. Three Florida forwards fouled out of the game as it battled against South Carolina’s size inside.

Florida forward Colin Castleton celebrates during the Gators' 82-75 victory against the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023.

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Castleton suffers potentially season-ending broken hand Wednesday night

By Jackson Reyes | Feb. 15, 2023

Gators graduate student forward Colin Castleton suffered a broken hand against the Ole Miss Rebels Wednesday night.

Guard Kyle Lofton dribbles the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores in an 88-80 defeat Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023.

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Gators light up Ole Miss in dominant victory

By Jackson Reyes | Feb. 15, 2023

The Florida Gators (14-12, 7-6 SEC) defeated Ole Miss (10-16, 2-11 SEC) 79-64 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Wednesday night. The Gators shot an efficient 59% both from the field and from beyond the arc.

Guard Riley Kugel shoots the ball in an 81-60 victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

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Riley Kugel continues to shine while UF struggles

By Brandon Hernandez | Feb. 13, 2023

Kugel has come into his own in Florida’s rotation since scoring zero points against Florida State Nov. 18. Kugel has steadily progressed his production on offense — his average for points per game grew from 2.8 points to 7.4 since UF’s game against the Owls.

Florida guards Nina Rickards, KK Dean and Leilani Correa walk back on defense in the Gators' 61-54 win against the Texas A&M Aggies Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023

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Shooting woes, turnovers plague Florida in blowout loss

By Austin Stirling | Feb. 12, 2023

The Florida Gators (14-11, 3-9 SEC) fell to the Georgia Bulldogs (17-9, 6-6 SEC) 81-55, as the Bulldogs completed the season sweep against the Gators. Georgia took advantage of Florida's offensive struggles and turnovers. The Bulldogs built a large lead early and never looked back.

Florida forward Colin Castleton celebrates during the Gators' 88-80 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023.

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Florida struggles late in loss to Vanderbilt

By Brandon Hernandez | Feb. 11, 2023

The Florida Gators (13-12, 6-6 SEC) lost to the Vanderbilt Commodores (13-12, 6-6 SEC) 88-80 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd.

Florida guard Leilani Correa handles the ball in the Gators' 61-54 win against the Texas A&M Aggies Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023

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Florida fall on home floor again against Mississippi State

By Topher Adams | Feb. 9, 2023

The Florida Gators (14-10, 3-8 SEC) lost to the Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-7, 6-5 SEC) 73-56 Thursday night in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Florida shot just 19-59 from the field and lost the rebounding battle 46-31.

Florida guard Riley Kugel looks to pass the ball in the Gators' 81-60 victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

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Florida no match for No. 3 Alabama

By Brandon Hernandez | Feb. 9, 2023

The Florida Gators (13-11, 6-5 SEC) were defeated by the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-3, 11-0 SEC) 97-69 Wednesday at the Coleman Coliseum.

Florida guard Kyle Lofton directs the offense in the Gators 81-60 victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

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Florida prepares for Tuscaloosa to face No. 3 Alabama

By Brandon Hernandez | Feb. 8, 2023

The Florida Gators (13-10, 6-4 SEC) will finish their two-game road trip in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, against the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (20-3, 10-0 SEC) at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Florida guard KK Deans handles the ball in the Gators' 61-54 win against the Texas A&M Aggies Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023

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Florida blown out in road game at Ole Miss

By Topher Adams | Feb. 5, 2023

The Florida Gators (14-9, 3-7 SEC) fell to the Ole Miss Rebels (19-5, 8-3 SEC) 68-42 Sunday. Ole Miss outscored Florida by 16 points in the second half. UF was outrebounded by 14 for the game.

Florida forward Colin Castleton holds the ball in the Gators 81-60 victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

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Castleton, Gators falter on road against rivals Kentucky

By Jackson Reyes | Feb. 4, 2023

The Florida Gators (13-10, 6-4 SEC) were defeated by Kentucky (16-7, 7-3 SEC ) 72–67 in Rupp Arena Saturday night. The Wildcats outscored the Gators in transition 14-0.

Florida guard Riley Kugel puts up a shot in the Gators 81-60 win against the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

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Florida, Kentucky rivalry returns Saturday

By Jackson Reyes | Feb. 4, 2023

The Florida Gators (13-9, 6-3 SEC) will look to carry their momentum from Wednesday into their game against Kentucky (15-7, 6-3 SEC). They upset the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers with a 67-54 victory.

Florida center Ra Shaya Kyle contests a Texas A&M shot in the Gators' 61-54 victory against the Aggies. Kyle had a career-high 17 rebounds in the win.

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Florida takes down Texas A&M behind strong defensive performance

By Austin Stirling | Feb. 2, 2023

The Florida Gators (14-8, 3-6 SEC) defeated the Texas A&M Aggies (6-14, 1-9 SEC) 61-54 to complete the season sweep of the Aggies.

Florida forward Colin Castleton dribbles the ball down the court in the Gators' 81-60 victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

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Gators topple No. 2 Tennessee by double digits

By Jackson Reyes | Feb. 1, 2023

The Florida Gators (13-9, 6-3 SEC) defeated the Volunteers (18-4, 7-2 SEC) 67-54 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Wednesday night.

Forward Colin Castleton handles the basketball against the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. Castleton finished the game with 18 points.

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Gators welcome No. 2 Tennessee to Gainesville Wednesday

By Jackson Reyes | Feb. 1, 2023

The Florida Gators (12-9, 5-3 SEC) will look to upset the Volunteers (18-3, 7-1 SEC) in the O’Dome and will need to find ways to score against Tennessee’s elite defense.

Florida guard Leilani Correa brings the ball down the court in the Gators' 83-55 victory against the Florida A&M Rattlers Monday, Nov. 7, 2022.

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Florida flounders against Auburn in double-digit defeat

By Jackson Reyes | Jan. 30, 2023

The Florida Gators (13-8, 2-6 SEC) were defeated by the Tigers (13-8, 3-6 SEC) 66-55 on the road Monday night. The Gators finished 26.9% from the field and 45.5% from deep.

Guard Riley Kugel drives to the basket against the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. Kugel finished the game with 14 points against South Carolina.

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Florida men’s basketball seeks answers on offense after blowout defeat

By Jackson Reyes | Jan. 30, 2023

The Florida Gators (12-9, 5-3 SEC) are currently listed on the bubble in the “Next Four Out” of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament as of Jan. 27, according to ESPN reporter Joe Lunardi.