UF's Colin Castleton (12) and Oklahoma big man Tanner Groves (left) will square off Tuesday night the second time in just over a year.
Will Castleton's Turnaround Be Sooner(s) or Later?
Tuesday, December 20, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Last month, Colin Castleton left his apartment and headed for the parking lot to hop in his car and head to campus for a workout.
His 2019 Dodge Durango was gone. Yes, stolen.
Local police were on the case the last three weeks and finally got a break over the weekend when authorities in Georgia got a hit on the vehicle and — get this — made an arrest Sunday after a high-speed chase through a couple counties that ended ended in a crash. No injuries, thankfully, but the Florida fifth-year senior standout will be driving his rental car a while longer while insurance companies sort things out. Though his shots haven't fallen of late, Colin Castleton(12) has maintained a high level on the defensive end.
OK, so now that Castleton's car was found (such as it is), the next order of business is to find that level of play the 6-foot-11, 250-pound post man was enjoying about a month ago when he averaging 25.3 points (third in the country at the time) and shooting 55 percent from the floor over the season's first first four games. In the seven games since, three of them losses, Castleton's numbers have dropped to 9.4 points per game and 40.6 percent from the floor.
In last week's lopsided win over Ohio in Tampa, Castleton posted six points and eight rebounds, making three of eight shots, but was nonetheless active on both ends of the floor over his nearly 27 minutes. If he's been frustrated with his scoring fall-off, Castleton has done a pretty good job of fighting through it and keeping the team, rather than individual statistics, top of mind.
"Offensively, yeah, I've going through a little bit of a struggle, a little slump, but all good players — all great players — have these situations," Castleton said, adding that the keys to working through such times are staying with routine, staying positive and staying in the gym. "I know how good of a player I am. I feel like I'm getting to all my spots, which is what I've talked to the coaches about. I'm making good moves, but the shots haven't fallen. That's just basketball. And it always turns the other way when you put the work in."
That's exactly the approach Castleton has taken, with the next opportunity for things to turn coming late Tuesday night when the Gators (7-4) face Oklahoma (8-3) in the inaugural Jumpman Invitational at Spectrum Center, home to the NBA Charlotte Hornets. The notion that Castleton will rocket his numbers back to where they were early season is probably unrealistic, but this more polished and offensively versatile version of the UF "big" is certainly capable of posting the kinds of digits — 14.4 points a game — he did over 52 games the last two seasons with the Gators.
In fact, Castleton's current '22-23 average stands at 15.2, so maybe things are about to even out.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Florida's head coach, Todd Golden, is a big numbers guy, of course. He's also a big Castleton guy and beamed to hear the centerpiece of his team talk about staying the course as he fights to put the ball back in the basket.
"I like that mentality," Golden said, acknowledging that teams made Castleton an even bigger focus on their scouting reports after his hot start. "As we get into the toughest part of our schedule we're going to need him to produce more as a scorer. He knows that. I think he's trying to do things the right way, the winning way, and that it's just a matter of time before he gets going for us."
Tuesday night would be a good place for that trend-up to kick in, what with a UF-OU matchup that featured an element of familiarity. The two teams played last season in Norman, Okla., with Castleton posting a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, but also turning it over six times against an array coverages and double teams. In the mix of those doubles was 6-foot-10, 240-pound center Tanner Groves, who went for a game-high 20 points and eight boards.
Groves is back for the Sooners, along with four others who contributed to Oklahoma's 74-67 victory on Dec. 1, 2021, but both teams have undergone considerable turnover.
Look for the OU, however, to try and X-out Castleton again.
Oklahoma double-teamsColin Castleton a bunch in their last meeting, a 74-67 road loss for the Gators on Dec. 1, 2021.
"[Teams are] sending two [defenders] because he's so skilled," said sophomore forward Alex Fudge, the transfer from LSU who has benefited from the attention afforded Castleton of late, what with two double-double in four games since his insertion into the starting unit. "I've noticed that teams with players around his height, 6-11 or 7-foot, they might play him one-on-one. But teams that are undersized, like 6-9 or 6-10, they'll send two. But Colin makes great reads. That's what's special about him. He's not just looking for his bucket, but to see if we can get extra kick-outs and rotations."
This will be the second game that UF fifth-year point guard Kyle Lofton will be playing at full strength after coming home from the Phil Knight Legacy in Portland, Ore., with a sore back that cost him two games and had him playing hurt in a blowout home loss to Connecticut nearly two weeks ago. The offseason vision for this team was a veteran lineup keyed by two fifth-year guys — with Lofton running the offense through Castleton — as the featured players. Florida inched a little closer to that vision in the 82-48 defeat of Ohio in last week, but now comes a truer test that will be followed by further tests. Immediately, in fact.
Seven of UF's next eight games will be against opponents currently ranked the Top 90 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), the metric that ultimately will seed the NCAA Tournament field in March.
First up, the Sooners.
Car issues can wait.
"Sometimes you can do everything you're supposed to and things still don't go your way," Castleton said. "It's definitely been annoying, for sure, but being able to play as hard as I can, and help my teammates, make the right plays, not force anything and play as hard as I can on defense — which is what I really love doing — I can deal with it. Getting out of [a slump] is about having the same mindset every day. Do that, you'll eventually work through it."
