NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Keyontae Johnson was about 900 miles from Memorial Gymnasium, but his imprint was all over Florida's 91-72 smashing of Vanderbilt Wednesday night. 

Johnson's recovery from the traumatic Dec. 12 collapse at Florida State provided an emotional rescue for a UF team that was a wreck in the days that followed the haunting incident. His release from the hospital and appearance at the team's two practices Sunday — walking the sidelines, shouting encouragement, providing pointers — was another positive jolt after the program basically shut down on-court activities for 15 days. On Monday, Johnson helped dish out the scouting report of the Commodores in Gainesville, then was FaceTimed into a meeting at the Gators' team hotel Tuesday. 

"In fact, he and I deliberated [by phone] about what to run the first offensive possession in the coaches locker room about an hour before the game," UF coach Mike White said of Johnson, who was voted the 2021 Southeastern Conference Preseason Player of the Year. "I'm so glad for him that he was able to watch us play well and have some success. And I know he's really happy for his teammates." 

Happy, no doubt, for junior forward Colin Castleton, the 6-foot-11 transfer from Michigan who dumped in a career-high 23 points and five rebounds. Knowing Johnson, he might have been happier for his replacement, 6-7 forward and Louisiana Tech transfer Anthony Duruji, who after a difficult go of it during the team's first four games seized the moment with 11 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots and a pair of steals over 27 high-energy minutes. 

"It definitely feels good," said Duruji, who averaged nearly 10 points and more than five rebounds in two seasons at La Tech, yet through his first four games as a Gator had gone 2-for-12 from the floor, 0-for-5 from the 3-point line and had tallied more than twice as many fouls (12) as points (5). "I think for me, it's a confident booster. We've battled so much adversity since the be beginning of the season, so I'm glad we got this win, collectively, as a group, but it felt good to be back to myself."
 
Castleton and Duruji, roommates and close friends, combined to go 15 of 18 from the floor to pace the Gators (4-1, 1-0) to a 61.8-percent shooting night, including a rip-roaring 72 percent in the second half, and also helped key a defense that limited the Commodores (4-3, 0-1) to 41 percent and turned 16 turnovers into 20 points. 

Given the circumstances, especially following a couple mistake-prone practices following the layoff, such a crisp and lopsided display — UF's largest margin of victory against an SEC foe on the road since last in the 2017-18 season, in fact — could not have been expected.

"I don't know if we anticipated it, because we've been through a lot the last couple weeks," Castleton said. "But Coach emphasized for this first game to just try not to turn the ball over too much — take care of it — and being efficient. He talks about taking "A" shots, which are the best shots on the court, and not being selfish. We emphasized that and did a good job of that."

Castleton did well in exploiting his height advantage against a small Vandy lineup. And as far as "A" shots, he went 11-for-13 from the floor, with six dunks. 

All told, five UF players finished in double figures and all nine who checked into the got in the scoring column (and did so before the end of the first half). Sophomore wing Scottie Lewis had 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and a couple blocks. Backup guard Tyree Appleby had 13 points, junior shooting guard Noah Locke had 10, and sophomore playmaker Tre Mann had nine points, a career-best 10 rebounds, plus four assists. 
 
The game was tied at 14 barely five minutes in when Locke dropped a 3-pointer to begin a run of seven straight UF points. The Florida lead was five, 26-21, approaching the eight-minute mark of the first half when the Gators took off on a 12-1 run while Vandy was missing 11 consecutive field-goal attempts. 

The Florida lead was 43-29 at halftime, but Commodores guard Tre Thomas hit three 3-pointers during spree by the home team that closed its deficit to six, but the Gators responded by knocking down eight straight field goals to slowly open up an 18-point lead with 11 minutes to play. They coasted home from there and put a big "W" in the column for their beloved teammate. 

And for themselves, as well. 

"Overall, our guys showed a lot of heart, a ton of heart," White said. "I don't know of another situation in college basketball where a team has dealt with the kind of stuff our team has. I couldn't be more proud."

Somewhere back home, the team's best player-turned-player-coach, was smiling. Maybe even thinking about the next scout.