Kentucky Expecting Florida to Play 'The Exact Same' Without Colin Castleton

The Wildcats will face a bruised Florida team without its best player, Colin Castleton. UK assistant coach KT Turner still isn't expecting any changes in the Gators' game plan, however.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky basketball is seeking its second season-sweep of an SEC rival this season, as it heads south to Gainesville for round two against the Florida Gators. 

On Feb. 4, UK conquered the Gators 72-67 in a chippy affair that never saw the Wildcats trail. The score staying as close as it did down the stretch was thanks to UF forward Colin Castleton. 

The senior poured in 25 points on 9-16 shooting while adding eight rebounds and five assists. In his five career games against Kentucky, Castleton has averaged 17.2 points and 6.8 rebounds. 

His midrange shooting mixed with some polished attacking in the paint and on the glass motored the Gators around the NCAA Tournament bubble, as he was averaging 16 PPG and 7.7 RPG. 

On Feb. 15, the 6-foot-11 Deland, Fla. native's season was abruptly ended, as he suffered a broken hand in the second half of Florida's game against Ole Miss. 

UF head coach Todd Golden doesn't have to just replace the center piece to his team, but he also has to find a way to fill in the over 30 minutes a game Castleton plays on a nightly basis. 

"It’ll be a little bit of a hit for us. We’re 26 games into the season and we’ve been pretty consistent with our style of play and how we’ve gone about it," Golden told reporters on Feb. 16.

In the remainder of Florida's win over the Rebels and its subsequent 84-65 loss to Arkansas on Feb. 18, Golden has had to turn towards a pair of big men that have big shoes to fill. 

Center Jason Jitoboh physically fills those shoes, as the senior goes 6-foot-11 and 300 pounds. He started for the Gators over the weekend, playing a season-high 24 minutes, totaling just four points and two rebounds. He played just three minutes against UK on Feb. 4. 

Behind him is 6-foot-10 freshman Aleks Szymczyk, who played just 15 total minutes across six games before being shoved into the backup role against the Razorbacks. He found much more success, though, finishing the loss with eight points, six rebounds, four steals, an assist and a block in 20 minutes on the court. 

"It’s a difficult thing to have to overcome this point in the season, but at the same time it’s an opportunity for a lot of guys to step up, guys who haven’t had the same opportunity earlier in the year," Golden said. 

Florida's appearance without Castleton may seem much different, but Kentucky assistant coach KT Turner hasn't seen any drastic changes from the Gators' scheme so far. 

"(Castleton)'s a huge part of what they do. But they do bring in two bigger guys like him," Turner told reporters on Tuesday. "They play the exact same, they're gonna play drop coverage and ball screens, at least that's what they did against Ole Miss and Arkansas. But they really haven't changed how they played, just different personnel. Castleton is a really, really good player, one of the top bigs in the country." 

"You can tell they were a little uncomfortable playing the last two games, but I'm sure they'll be ready to play against us. But they really haven't changed how they they've been playing, with what we've seen on film," he added.

Golden has also opted for a smaller lineup at times, moving LSU transfer Alex Fudge — 6-foot-9, 194 pounds — to the '5' at times, giving the two aforementioned big men some rest when needed. 

Turner did admit that while he's not expecting a different style of basketball from Florida, prepping for a team without its focal point can make things difficult in some aspects. 

"It's a little tricky, it's a little different. We've definitely watched it, some things we can still do. But I mean, he's so good on both ends of the floor, it does change some things for us," he said.

Castleton's offensive prowess is stellar, but he also served as one of the best defensive bigs in the country. In 26 games, he racked up 78 blocks, tied for the third most of any player in the nation. 

He also gave UK center Oscar Tshiebwe fits when the two went toe-to-toe earlier this season, holding the reigning National Player of the Year to four points on 2-14 shooting, though he did still grab 15 rebounds. 

Turner says that the Wildcats aren't planning on utilizing Tshiebwe any differently on Wednesday, despite his sudden advantage in the paint.

"I think we'll still have the same game plan, what we want to do. Like I said, they're playing the same coverage that they've been playing with those with those other two guys," Turner said. 

Florida is now 14-13 (7-7 SEC) in Golden's first year as head coach. Hopes of making March Madness are likely out of the window, barring a spectacular run in the SEC Tournament, but there's always something to play for when the Wildcats come to town. 

Tipoff from the O'Connell Center in Gainesville is set for 7 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on ESPN. 

More on Kentucky's win over Tennessee HERE.

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