Florida will look to extend its winning streak to four games when it meets Georgia in Southeastern Conference play on Wednesday in Gainesville, Fla.
A win for the Gators would be their fifth straight over the Bulldogs.
The Gators (15-8, 5-5 SEC) are coming off a 62-57 win in overtime over Ole Miss on Saturday, while Georgia (6-17, 1-9) lost its third straight game and its 11th in its past 12 contests with a 74-72 setback against visiting Auburn, the No. 1 team in the nation, on Saturday.
Colin Castleton, Florida’s leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker, returned after a six-game absence due to a shoulder injury to post 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks against Ole Miss.
Tyree Appleby and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. each added 10 points for the Gators, who rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit before outscoring the Rebels 14-9 in the extra session.
“It felt great being able to just hoop,” said Castleton, who averages 15.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. “Just hooping is what I love. So just being able to be out there with my teammates — my brothers — felt great. I was definitely tired, but that’s just what comes with it, so I’ve got to keep building that stamina up.”
While Florida’s winning streak has enabled the Gators to ascend to the top half of the conference standings, Georgia remains mired at the bottom after losing to Auburn.
Auburn’s Wendell Green Jr. made a layup with 3.3 seconds left to deny the Bulldogs their first win over an AP top-ranked team in school history after Aaron Cook’s jumper from around half court missed as time expired.
The Bulldogs rallied to take a 72-70 lead with under a minute to play after trailing 42-30 at halftime.
Kario Oquendo, who averages a team-high 13.4 points per game, had a game-high 25 points, while Braelen Bridges posted 14 points, Jaxon Etter added 13 and Cook recorded 10 points and nine assists. Bridges averages 12.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Cook averages team-highs in assists (6.0) and steals (1.3) to go along with 10.5 points per game.
“We didn’t play a perfect game,” Georgia coach Tom Crean said. “You don’t have to play a perfect game to win. You have to play a solid execution game with great effort and great toughness, and that’s what our guys did. So, I think we’ll continue to build on it the best we can.”
–Field Level Media
