Florida Gators

WHAT HAPPENED: Fifth-year forward Colin Castleton scored 18 points to lead an otherwise balanced Florida offense, but it was what the Gators did on the defensive end that keyed Tuesday night's 67-56 road victory over LSU in their Southeastern Conference game at the Maravich Assembly Center. In winning a second straight for the first time in nearly six weeks, the Gators held the Tigers to just 32.2 percent from the floor in their home building. That number included a 5-for-29 night of 3-point shooting (17.9 percent) -- 0-for-11 in the second half -- as well as 15 forced turnovers that led to 23 points. UF erased a five-point deficit early in the period, took its first lead since early in the game midway through the half, and little by little pulled away. Castleton, facing the league's No. 2 scorer in forward KJ Williams, tallied 13 of his points in the second half. He hit just three of six field-goal attempts, but went 12-for-15 from the free-throw to line (9 of 10 in the second half) and also had seven rebounds, five blocks, two assists and drew a whopping 10 fouls in the post. UF also got solid all-around floor games from a pair of fifth-year seniors, as Kyle Lofton and Myreon Jones each had eight points, but combined for just two turnovers on the night and ran an offense that shot 55 percent in the second half after clanging away at just 29 percent (3-for-17 from 3) in the first. Backup wing Kowacie Reeves had 11 points, while forward Alex Fudge had seven points and three rebounds in his return to Baton Rouge after playing one season for the Tigers in 2021-22. Williams led all scorers with 23 points to go with seven rebounds, but after coming in at 49 percent from 3 on the season when just 1-for-9 from deep against the UF defense. Florida trailed by seven early in the first half and eight midway through before inching back within three, 28-25, at the break. The Gators took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Castleton with 14:03 to go and used a mini-run, including freshman guard Riley Kugel's first 3-pointer in five games, to open up an eight-point lead that eventually grew to as large as 11. The Tigers got as close as seven with two minutes to go, but Castleton scored his team's last seven points, including four straight free throws to ice Coach Todd Golden's first SEC road victory. WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators now have a Quadrant-2 victory for their resume, with a potential chance for a Q-1 this weekend (read on). UF not only has won two straight (Georgia and LSU), but has bounced back from deflating defeats to the open the SEC season when they were in one-possession games or tied in the final minute at Auburn and at home against Texas A&M, only to have the opponent make the plays late. Certain strengths and weaknesses are coming into focus, as is the identity of this team. It's on the defensive on.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Call it an understated spotlight, but a very important one for this team. Jones' steady hand was pivotal in this game. In addition to sharing ball-handling duties with Lofton in UF's reconfigured smaller lineup, Jones played 30 minutes without turning the ball over. In four SEC games, Jones has turned it over just twice. He also hit a pair of 3s (on five attempts), grabbed three rebounds and dished three assists.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida has held its last six opponents, including all four of its SEC foes, to under 40 percent shooting. Through those previous six games, the Gators' defense has allowed a combined 36.6-percent shooting; in the four conference games, they're at 37.1. 

UP NEXT: Florida (9-7, 2-2) will be back home Saturday to face surging Missouri (13-2, 2-1). The Tigers, who are on the road Wednesday night at Texas A&M, have already defeated Illinois and Kentucky and are off to a terrific start under new Coach Dennis Gates, the former Florida State assistant who was at Cleveland State the last three years, flipped that program and became a hot commodity during last spring's hiring cycle. The Mizzou game could wind up being a Quad-1 opportunity for the Gators, depending on how the Tigers, ranked No. 37 in the NET, fare against the Aggies (and how some other outcomes shake out around the country the next few days).