COLIN CASTLETON

Playing without their best player, Florida struggled to score, falling on the road to the Razorbacks 85-64.

Myreon Jones scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and short-handed Florida beat Mississippi 79-64 to snap a three-game losing streak.

Freshman Cason Wallace scored 20 points, Jacob Toppin had a double-double and Kentucky never trailed in a 72-67 victory over Florida.

Colin Castleton had 20 points and nine rebounds, Kyle Lofton added 14 points and Florida used a 13-0 run late in the second half to upend No. 2 Tennessee 67-54 on Wednesday night.

Colin Castleton scored 18 points, making a career-high 12 foul shots, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked five shots and Florida handed LSU its third-straight loss, 67-56.

Chris Moore got a steal in the final seconds and Wendell Green Jr. made a layup at the buzzer to cap No. 20 Auburn’s 61-58 victory over Florida in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Hey, Gators fans!

Florida big man Colin Castleton is returning for a fifth season.

Hey there, Gators fans.

JD Notae scored 22 points, including a huge 3-pointer with a little more than minute remaining, and No. 18 Arkansas beat Florida 82-74 on Tuesday night for its first win in Gainesville since 1995.

Well, the news hasn’t gotten much better since our last newsletter.

Colin Castleton had 15 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and six blocks as Florida knocked off No. 20 Florida State 71-55 to end a seven-game losing streak in the series.

Colin Castleton and Myreon Jones each scored 18 points and Florida cruised to a 74-61 victory over Elon in the season opener for both teams.

Hey, Gator Nation!

Florida landed its fourth transfer in two weeks when former Charleston Southern guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr. formally committed to the Gators.

Penn State’s leading scorer is heading to Florida and could be a huge help right away.

Forward Omar Payne entered the transfer portal Tuesday and became the fifth player to leave coach Mike White's program since the end of the season. The 6-foot-10 Payne joined shooting guard Noah Locke, backup point guard Ques Glover and reserve forward Osayi Osifo in looking to play elsewhere next season. Star point guard and leading scorer Tre Mann entered the NBA draft with plans of hiring an agent, meaning he has no intention of returning to school for his junior season. Payne, a sophomore from Kissimmee, averaged 3.8 points and 3.2 rebounds while playing close to 16 minutes a game this season. Only Keyontae Johnson remains from Florida's 2018 class, which lost talented point guard Andrew Nembhard to Gonzaga last year and now is without Locke.

10 seed Virginia Tech 75-70 in a first-round game on Friday. He finished with 30 points and scored the final 12 of regulation for Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech hit 5 of its first 10 3-point attempts, but made just two the rest of the way. Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said he considered keeping Aluma on the bench to start overtime. AdHINKLE'S LIGHTThe first NCAA Tournament game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in 81 years was rife with history, nostalgia and ... sunlight.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dru Smith scored the game-winner, banking a baseline drive reverse layup off the glass with 0.7 seconds on the clock and Missouri held on to defeat Florida 72-70 on Wednesday night for the Tigers’ first-ever win in Gainesville. Dru Smith scored 17 points and had nine assists and a season-high six steals to lead Missouri (15-7, 8-7 Southeastern Conference), Mitchell Smith scored 14 and Mark Smith 11. Tre Mann scored 21 points to lead Florida, Tyree Appleby added 12 with five assists and Noah Locke scored 11. The Gators committed 18 turnovers, leading to 25 Mizzou points, and saw a three-game win streak end. Mitchell Smith pushed the Tigers lead to 10, opening the second half with a 3-pointer.

11 West Virginia 85-80 on Saturday in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Derek Culver led West Virginia (11-5) with a career-high 28 points, but he was bottled up in the second half. NICHOLS BACKFlorida assistant coach Darris Nichols faced West Virginia coach Bob Huggins for the third time. The Gators beat West Virginia in the 2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge in Gainesville, Florida, and at the 2018 Jimmy V Classic. 10 Texas Tech last Monday, Saturday's loss could prevent West Virginia from moving into the top 10 of the AP poll.