Florida leading scorer Colin Castleton suffered a broken hand in the Gators’ game Wednesday against Ole Miss, according to the team.
Castleton departed early in the second half and the official diagnosis came shortly after the Gators wrapped up the 79-64 win.
A 6-foot-11 center who started his career at Michigan, Castleton was on track for a first-team All-SEC campaign. He was averaging 16.5 points (third in the SEC), 7.9 rebounds (sixth) and 3.0 blocks (first) entering the week and had averaged 24.8 points and 9.5 rebounds over his past four games.
Castleton earned second-team All-SEC honors last season after averaging 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds.
Florida entered the week on the periphery of the bubble, needing a strong finish to garner NCAA tournament consideration.
The Gators had lost three in a row before beating Ole Miss on Wednesday, but Castleton’s injury will make it difficult for Todd Golden’s team to earn a bid.
Without Castleton down the stretch, Florida will have to rely more heavily on senior big man Jason Jitoboh. He played 17 minutes in Wednesday’s game, finishing with four points and four rebounds.