Florida basketball: Gators extend their winning streak with first ranked win

Florida basketball is starting to make it look like they aren’t just messing around and winning games. It’s starting to look real.

Yesterday, the Gators extended their winning streak to three with their first ranked win of the year over the Missouri Tigers.

Heading into the game, it was critical that the Gators slow down the Tigers from three-point range. They did exactly that, shutting down two of the game’s most efficient shooters in D’Moi Hodge and Kobe Brown.

Missouri was a pedestrian 3-18 from long range, which is just a 16.7% rate. On the other side, the Gators had one of their best games of the year from beyond the arc. They shot 10-23, a 43.5% rate. 4 of those threes were from Will Richard, and three from Riley Kugel.

Richard had one of his most efficient offensive games of the season. He had 18 points on 4-9 from the field and 6-6 from the free throw line.

Colin Castleton also had an outstanding performance. He put up a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, along with six assists, three steals, and two blocks. He did everything.

Once again, Myreon Jones played major minutes and helped to swing the game back in the Gators’ favor. He had eight points, four rebounds, and five assists in 35 minutes. His best play of the game was sinking a three on offense and then turning around and taking a charge on defense.

It’s those types of plays from Jones that have given the Gators a spark when they needed it most.

The win over the Tigers was Florida’s first ranked win of the year in three tries. It moved them to 10-7 overall and 3-2 in SEC play. With a rematch vs Texas A&M coming next week, the Gators will look for revenge and a fourth straight win.

Keep up with Florida basketball at Hail Florida Hail.