Florida Gators vs. Arkansas: Preview, Info, Where to Watch and More

Here is everything you need to know before the Gators' bout with Arkansas in the first contest without star center Colin Castleton.

Photo: Florida coaching staff timeout huddle; Credit: Zach Goodall

The final Quad I game of the Gators season is officially here. Florida is slated to enter Fayetteville for a season-defining contest against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday afternoon.

The Gators continue to operate in must-win mode despite recent turmoil as they attempt to sneak into the field of 68 come March. However, that window is growing increasingly slim for them to get off the bubble and into the Big Dance, especially without forward Colin Castleton. 

You can find everything you need to know about the matchup below.

Need last-minute tickets? Purchase them via S.I. Tickets here. 

Florida Gators vs. Arkansas Razorbacks

Where: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.

When: Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. EST

Watch: ESPN2

Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD / SiriusXM 388 / SXM App 978

Odds: Florida is a nine-point underdog to Arkansas, according to the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 138.5 points.

Series history: The Gators are 26-14 all-time against the Razorbacks, including a 7-9 record on the road. In the last meeting between the two programs, Arkansas outlasted Florida in Gainesville, 84-74, on February 2, 2022. 

Important stories

• Riley Kugel presented with opportunity to be Gators' No. 1 offensive weapon
• How does Florida move forward without Castleton?
• Colin Castleton suffers broken hand vs. Ole Miss
• Gators produce 15-point win over Ole Miss to snap three-game skid 
• UF suffers backbreaking loss to Vanderbilt, 88-80
• Golden: Gators control own destiny to an NCAA Tournament bid
• Florida Gators get rolled by Crimson Tide, 97-69
• Takeaways from Florida's narrow loss to Kentucky
• Big-picture takeaways from the Gators upset victory over Tennessee
• Florida upsets No. 2 Tennessee, 67-54
• Gators drop SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup to Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State
• Florida looking to put slow starts in rearview mirror
• Colin Castleton eclipses 1,000-point mark at Florida
• Todd Golden sets tournament-level expectations for year-one campaign
• Gators basketball 2022-23 player profile: Center Colin Castleton
• Profile: Center Jason Jitoboh
• Profile: Center Aleks Szymczyk
• Profile: Forward CJ Felder
• Profile: Forward Alex Fudge
• Profile: Wing Riley Kugel
• Profile: Wing Kowacie Reeves Jr.
• Profile: Wing Will Richard
• Profile: Wing Niels Lane
• Profile: Guard Myreon Jones
• Profile: Guard Denzel Aberdeen
• Profile: Guard Trey Bonham
• Profile: Guard Kyle Lofton
• Gators' complete 2022-23 schedule

The rundown

Saturday marks the first contest in which the Gators will be without Castleton this season after he suffered a broken hand against the Ole Miss Rebels, derailing an elite final campaign in orange and blue. It forces UF to quickly find a way to operate in his absence.

Ironically, it's also the final Quadrant I win opportunity Florida has remaining on its schedule.

Arkansas is currently desperate after dropping two-straight contests, dropping games to Mississippi State (home) and Texas A&M (away) in the past seven days. The theme in both matchups has been the Razorbacks' inability to find any rhythm offensively, a testament to the injury-depleted roster the team has courted throughout most of the year. 

While that bodes poorly for Arkansas, it potentially presents the opening Florida needs to find its footing in the post-Castleton era.

Holding the nation's No. 16 defense, Golden's squad has proved to be an elite defensive unit on the year.

While that will likely see a slight drop with the defensive presence at the rim Castleton provided, the defense hasn't relied on his shot-blocking or length inside, although it's been a luxury. Rather, each position has excelled on the ball, slowing opposing offenses down significantly to force contested shots from the midrange.

That's inhibited the points per possession allowed by the unit this year. The Gators will look to continue that trend on Saturday afternoon — while crashing the boards with intention with what's expected to be a small ball lineup with a heavy dose of Alex Fudge at the five — against the likes of Ricky Council IV and Anthony Black. 

However, the tweaked UF offense will be the deciding factor.

In order to knock off the Hogs in Fayetteville, the Gators will have to find offensive success from several players.

Freshman Riley Kugel possesses the shot-creation abilities to take over as the star weapon on that end of the floor. Will Richard, Myreon Jones and Kowacie Reeves Jr. will have to build off a strong shooting performance against Ole Miss to give the Gators a chance with the ultimate equalizer.

Finding a consistent shooting stroke from distance is the formula for success in this game and moving forward without a dominant presence to fall back on in the pick-and-roll and on the low block. 

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