FINAL: Florida 81, Milwaukee 45
Thursday, November 18, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 81, MILWAUKEE 45
FLORIDA 81, MILWAUKEE 45
WHAT HAPPENED: Senior forward Colin Castleton scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and led three other teammates into double-figure scoring, as the 24th-ranked Gators overwhelmed Milwaukee and its heralded NBA prospect, freshman Patrick Baldwin Jr., Thursday night at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center. Florida scored the game's first six points and never looked back, with Castleton hitting nine of his 17 shots over 25 minutes before taking a seat with 8:38 to go and his team up by 36. Fifth-year senior point guard Tyree Appleby, back at full strength after fighting the flu during Sunday's big win over Florida State, finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists, while classmate forward Anthony Duruji was good for 12 points and seven rebounds. Guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr. came off the bench for 12 points. The game had more juice than a typical November non-league "buy" game, thanks to the 6-foot-10 Baldwin Jr., a guard/forward combo projected as a potential lottery pick. He came in averaging a double-double (20.0 points, 10.5 rebounds), but against an aggressive, active UF defense finished with only 13 points on 6-for-15 shooting (0-for-3 from deep), three rebounds and three turnovers. The Gators built a double-digit lead barely five minutes in, then a run of 15-4 late in the first period had the home team up 15. The Panthers scored the final two buckets of the period, including a steal and run-out layup by Baldwin, who beat a defender giving chase by wrapping the ball around his back on his launch to the rim, cutting the Florida lead 33-22 at the break. The Gators came out of the locker room and seized command of the game, then stepped on the Panthers' throats. Appleby started the period with a 3-pointer. At the other end, Baldwin posted for a layup. After that came a run of 11 straight for the Gators, with four of the five baskets being slams (two by Castleton). The run eventually stretched to a whopping 27-2, pushing UF ahead 63-26, as the Panthers missed 13 of their first 14 field-goal tries of the half. UF's biggest lead was 39 with just under eight minutes to go when UF began emptying its bench.
WHAT IT MEANS: That's three consecutive seasons that Florida has opened with three victories, and the fifth time in Coach Mike White's seven seasons. Not to be understated, this seemed like a dangerous game because the Gators were coming off such a high from Sunday's marvelous performance against Florida State, and the fact Milwaukee, with Baldwin, was not the garden-variety "buy" opponent.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: There were 33 NBA scouts from 22 different teams in the house to watch Baldwin in one of just two games the Panthers will play against Power 5 opponents. UMW takes on Colorado, out of the Pac-12, on the road Dec. 10. His stats may not have been great, but the kid looks the part. Imagine if, instead of opting to play for his father at UMW, he'd gone to one of his other three final choices during the recruiting process: Duke, Kentucky or North Carolina.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: After Baldwin's bucket at the 19:15 mark of the second half, Milwaukee didn't hit another field goal for 11 minutes and 26 seconds.
UP NEXT: Florida (3-0) will hop on a bus Saturday and head south on I-75 for its annual holiday tournament. This year, it's the Fort Myers Tipoff, with the Gators matched against California (1-2) in their opener Monday night. Depending on the outcome, they'll face either 19th-ranked Ohio State (2-0) or Seton Hall (2-0) in Wednesday's championship or consolation game. The Bears, out of the Pac-12 Conference, take on Southern Utah later Thursday night. As for the other matchup, the Buckeyes also are in action Thursday night with a huge cross-state date against a very good Xavier team. The Pirates already have arguably the best win in the nation this season, having beaten Michigan 67-65 on the road Tuesday night and are almost sure to be ranked when they play OSU Monday night.
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