Florida at Xavier Game Notes (NIT)
Cintas Center | Cincinnati, Ohio
Sunday, March 20, 2022 | 1 p.m.
ESPN | Mike Morgan & Tim Welsh
Gators Sports Network from LEARFIELD | Mick Hubert & Lee Humphrey
Florida (20-13/9-9 SEC) vs. Xavier (19-13/8-11 Big East)
2021-22 AT A GLANCE
• Florida looks to keep its postseason run going following Wednesday’s win vs. Iona, led by 18 points each from Colin Castleton and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. and 14 apiece from Tyree Appleby and Kowacie Reeves. Castleton added 13 boards for his 10th double-double of the season.
• It marked the first head coaching game and win of interim head coach Al Pinkins’ career. Pinkins has been associate head coach at Florida since 2018.
• Florida and Xavier last met in the 2019 Charleston Classic championship game, a 70-65 Florida win, and both teams will be in the fi eld of Nov. 2022’s Phil Knight Legacy event in Portland. Keyontae Johnson scored 15 points in that Charleston Classic championship game victory and brought home tournament MVP honors.
• All-SEC forward Colin Castleton has been productive since his Feb. 5 return to the lineup after missing six games with a shoulder injury, averaging 18.1 points and 9.2 rebounds over the final nine regular season games. He posted 19 points and eight rebounds in the win vs. #2 Auburn and went for a career-high 29 vs. Arkansas. Castleton has also reached the Gators’ career top-10 in blocked shots (116).
• Phlandrous Fleming Jr. came up big in the Gators’ last two regular season wins. He posted 27 points in his hometown of Athens, Ga., shooting 11-for-18 from the fi eld and 4-for-9 from 3-point range.
• Fleming’s encore at Vanderbilt helped Florida to a dramatic comeback win after UF trailed by nine with 8:58 to play and by five with 44 seconds left. Fleming’s chase-down block with 29 seconds kept the door cracked for the Gators, and his 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left put the Gators on top for good.
• Tyree Appleby had a strong regular season finish for the Gators, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 17-for-38 from 3-point range (.447) over the final five regular season games.
• Following the SEC Tournament, UF ranked among SEC leaders in blocked shots (second, 5.2), scoring defense (fourth, 66.1) and free throw percentage (fourth, .735).
• Tyree Appleby played Superman in UF’s win against #2 Auburn, which was the Gators’ highest-ranked home win in program history and matched UF’s highest-ranked regular season victory. Appleby scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half, hitting four of his six 3-point attempts after the break.
• It was a familiar role for Appleby, who also sparked a trio of Florida comebacks in three consecutive games against Oklahoma State, Missouri and Ole Miss and had an early-season game-winning buzzer-beater against Ohio State. The point guard posted 21 points to help UF come back from 16 down against Oklahoma State. Appleby scored 17 points at Mizzou, all in the second half, including a pair of game-winning free throws with 7.9 seconds left. Against Ole Miss, Appleby recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.
• The Gators stifled Vanderbilt in the teams’ first meeting, limiting the Commodores to 14 second-half points. Vandy’s 42 total points marked the second-fewest UF has allowed vs. an SEC opponent under Mike White (41 at SC, 2/10/18). No Commodore scored more than seven points against the UF defense.
• Florida battled back from a double-digit defi cit to knock off Ohio State on Tyree Appleby’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Phlandrous Fleming led the Florida attack with 19 points and four steals, supported by Colin Castleton’s double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds
Cintas Center | Cincinnati, Ohio
Sunday, March 20, 2022 | 1 p.m.
ESPN | Mike Morgan & Tim Welsh
Gators Sports Network from LEARFIELD | Mick Hubert & Lee Humphrey
Florida (20-13/9-9 SEC) vs. Xavier (19-13/8-11 Big East)
2021-22 AT A GLANCE
• Florida looks to keep its postseason run going following Wednesday’s win vs. Iona, led by 18 points each from Colin Castleton and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. and 14 apiece from Tyree Appleby and Kowacie Reeves. Castleton added 13 boards for his 10th double-double of the season.
• It marked the first head coaching game and win of interim head coach Al Pinkins’ career. Pinkins has been associate head coach at Florida since 2018.
• Florida and Xavier last met in the 2019 Charleston Classic championship game, a 70-65 Florida win, and both teams will be in the fi eld of Nov. 2022’s Phil Knight Legacy event in Portland. Keyontae Johnson scored 15 points in that Charleston Classic championship game victory and brought home tournament MVP honors.
• All-SEC forward Colin Castleton has been productive since his Feb. 5 return to the lineup after missing six games with a shoulder injury, averaging 18.1 points and 9.2 rebounds over the final nine regular season games. He posted 19 points and eight rebounds in the win vs. #2 Auburn and went for a career-high 29 vs. Arkansas. Castleton has also reached the Gators’ career top-10 in blocked shots (116).
• Phlandrous Fleming Jr. came up big in the Gators’ last two regular season wins. He posted 27 points in his hometown of Athens, Ga., shooting 11-for-18 from the fi eld and 4-for-9 from 3-point range.
• Fleming’s encore at Vanderbilt helped Florida to a dramatic comeback win after UF trailed by nine with 8:58 to play and by five with 44 seconds left. Fleming’s chase-down block with 29 seconds kept the door cracked for the Gators, and his 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left put the Gators on top for good.
• Tyree Appleby had a strong regular season finish for the Gators, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 17-for-38 from 3-point range (.447) over the final five regular season games.
• Following the SEC Tournament, UF ranked among SEC leaders in blocked shots (second, 5.2), scoring defense (fourth, 66.1) and free throw percentage (fourth, .735).
• Tyree Appleby played Superman in UF’s win against #2 Auburn, which was the Gators’ highest-ranked home win in program history and matched UF’s highest-ranked regular season victory. Appleby scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half, hitting four of his six 3-point attempts after the break.
• It was a familiar role for Appleby, who also sparked a trio of Florida comebacks in three consecutive games against Oklahoma State, Missouri and Ole Miss and had an early-season game-winning buzzer-beater against Ohio State. The point guard posted 21 points to help UF come back from 16 down against Oklahoma State. Appleby scored 17 points at Mizzou, all in the second half, including a pair of game-winning free throws with 7.9 seconds left. Against Ole Miss, Appleby recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.
• The Gators stifled Vanderbilt in the teams’ first meeting, limiting the Commodores to 14 second-half points. Vandy’s 42 total points marked the second-fewest UF has allowed vs. an SEC opponent under Mike White (41 at SC, 2/10/18). No Commodore scored more than seven points against the UF defense.
• Florida battled back from a double-digit defi cit to knock off Ohio State on Tyree Appleby’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Phlandrous Fleming led the Florida attack with 19 points and four steals, supported by Colin Castleton’s double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds
