John Stockton Has Season Tickets Suspended by Gonzaga University Over Mask Mandate
Florida star Colin Castleton is unavailable for Wednesday night’s game against Tennessee, according to FloridaGators.com.
Castleton has missed Florida’s last three games — wins over Mississppi State and Vanderbilt and a loss to Ole Miss — due to a shoulder injury he suffered in practice last week. The power forward remains out “indefinitely” heading into Saturday’s showdown with Oklahoma State.
The 6-foot-11 senior is by far Florida’s most effective player, averaging 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game for the Gators. Castleton is also one of the best rim protectors in the league, blocking 2.8 shots per game.
Even with Castleton, Florida’s two-point defense is below average. Without the Michigan transfer, Florida’s defense has survived against a pair of poor offenses (Vanderbilt and Ole Miss).
However, Castleton’s absence has effected Florida more on the offensive end than the defensive end. The Gators scored 80 points in their first game without Castleton, but have averaged a lowly 57.5 points in the two games since.
Outside of Anthony Duruji’s 22-point performance against Mississippi State, the Gators have struggled to find inside scoring without Castleton.
After Castleton’s 15.4 points per game, Florida’s leading scorers are Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (10.3 PPG), Tyree Appleby (9.7 PPG) and Duruji (9.5 PPG).
The status of Florida utility big man C.J. Felder (4.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG) is uncertain according to FloridaGators.com. Felder missed the Ole Miss game with non COVID-19 related illness.
The Vols and Gators will tip-off from Thompson-Boling Arena at 6 p.m. ET. Rick Barnes is looking to improve to 8-2 over Florida in his Tennessee tenure.
